Best fighter of th Turtles?

[Kendamu]

Originally Posted by trexmaster

I';; vote for Michelangelo, as his nunchaku are the most versatile of the TMNT weapons, being useful for defense (repelling attacks) AND offense (seriously, wooden rods spinning fast against your cheek would deliver SERIOUS discipline). Also, he's the fastest of the Turtles, and ninja need speed.

The worst (be warned, the following will be politically incorrect) is most likely either Donatello or Raphael. Donatello's weapon, though versatile, isn't particularly powerful. And although Raphael can stab with his sais, he's too stupid, like a brawling animal, to be an effective fighter.

Because, y'know, Raphael isn't kinda jealous of Leonardo's postition and tries to be the better fighter by training almost just as much or anything...

[triplexxx]

Originally Posted by NameGoesHere1066

I think it's pretty hard to determine who is the best fighter because there has never been a situation where the turtles have had to fight each other seriously.

With the exception of that Raphael and Leonardo brawl in the new flick, that's true, and even then, it would take more than just one fight to determine it since results can vary.

[Sage Ninja]

I had completly forgotten about this thread! It's kind of sad that so many drome regulars don't post here any more I wonder what ever happened to Ryona?

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

If you talk about traditional martial arts and ninjutsu, it's Leonardo, of course.

[triplexxx]

Well, being a best "overall" fighter is more than just about following tradition.

[Evenstar227]

Originally Posted by raphroehler2003

So I guess bottom line: A) Raph with Aikido would be awesome

I thought aikido was a nonviolent martial art? That doesn't strike me as something Raph would want to excel at. Sounds like it'd be more up Leo or Don's alley than Raph's.

And now for something completely different...what about the fact that they were regular turtles before being mutated? Wouldn't that mean that they'd have similar natural abilities across the board? Granted, turtles are not known for their acrobatic agility (though common musk turtles are surprisingly good climbers). I mean, look at monkeys. Monkey to monkey, they have the same natural abilities. What I'm trying to say is that leaving personality based traits like focus, determination, love of training, etc, aside, they should all be equal. Or am I way off base here? (I only mention this in regards to arguments over who is the fastest, most agile, blah blah blah. Strongest isn't a factor either b/c you can increase that by lifting weights.)

[drasgow]

well, some animals are faster than others, or stronger just like people. that's how they search for the best mates. strongest fastest etc. so each turtle wouldn't have the exact same natural ability.

[Evenstar227]

That's true. I wouldn't expect to see a really big discrepancy between any of the guys, though. I basically figure them to be rather equal when it comes to natural ability.

[TheUltimateShredhead]

It's stated in both ot and nt that leo is the best skilled in the martial arts they practice ot(ninjitsu) nt(bushido).

[triplexxx]

What exactly do you mean by "OT (ninjitsu) NT (Bushido)"? In both series, their martial arts practice is ninjitsu; Bushido is an honor code, not a martial arts practice, it revolves around what purpose the turtles serve using their martial arts skill, and they're all equal in honor because they all serve the same purpose.
Also, yes Leonarod is said to be most skilled/basic-strategist, but the other turtles have their individual advantages too, Raphael's being strength, Michaelangelo's being speed, and Donatello's being technical-strategist/acrobatics. None of these individual advantages however are synonymous to being "overall best".

[Mr._Mutant_Man]

Leonardo is probably the best of the four, with Raphael coming in second. What probably causes Leonardo to be better than Raphael is that Raphael's anger would probably become a distraction.

[triplexxx]

Still, no way to know for sure, unless there were a good number of real fights between any two of them, and the only one that did happen was in '07 and Raphael came out on top, but one fight doesn't determine anything.

[Jelly Bean]

Originally Posted by drasgow

well, some animals are faster than others, or stronger just like people. that's how they search for the best mates. strongest fastest etc. so each turtle wouldn't have the exact same natural ability.

Kung Fu Panda any one?

[TheUltimateShredhead]

Originally Posted by triplexxx

What exactly do you mean by "OT (ninjitsu) NT (Bushido)"? In both series, their martial arts practice is ninjitsu; Bushido is an honor code, not a martial arts practice, it revolves around what purpose the turtles serve using their martial arts skill, and they're all equal in honor because they all serve the same purpose.
Also, yes Leonarod is said to be most skilled/basic-strategist, but the other turtles have their individual advantages too, Raphael's being strength, Michaelangelo's being speed, and Donatello's being technical-strategist/acrobatics. None of these individual advantages however are synonymous to being "overall best".

I guess i got misguided throw the series, im sorry if i declared something i don't got a clue about

[Sage Ninja]

in the old toon I was really put out on how weak of a fighter Michaelangelo was, he was considered the weakest of the four and Bebop and Rocksteady didn't seem the least worried about him and always seemed to after him specifically at times. Maybe all that pizza made him sluggish.

I'm glad that in the new toon Michaelangelo is portrayed as being exellent fighter with loads of potentcial that could rival Leo if put his mind to it.

[triplexxx]

I don't recall him being that weak in the OT, remember when he single-handedly ran down Leonardo and smashed Donatello's contraption in "Leatherhead Meets the Rat King", when he broke out his chains with his own muscle in "Michaelangelo's Birthday", and Leonardo never managed to take him down plus got disarmed one of his swords in that brief sequence the turtles were set against each other in "Splinter No More"? Yeah there were times he got taken down, like when he was on his own, but the same happened with the others.

[odupianist]

when it comes to natural ability, Mikey has them all beat. as far as training, Leonardo. If Mikey trained as hard as Leo does, he'd be able to kick Leo's butt I bet ya.

[NameGoesHere1066]

Originally Posted by Sage Ninja

I'm glad that in the new toon Michaelangelo is portrayed as being exellent fighter with loads of potentcial that could rival Leo if put his mind to it.

when it comes to natural ability, Mikey has them all beat. as far as training, Leonardo. If Mikey trained as hard as Leo does, he'd be able to kick Leo's butt I bet ya.

I love how people bring up how much untapped potenticial Mikey supposedly has when there is nothing to really back it up. The guy is always the first to get nocked on his ass, he always needs rescue, and when ever he is confronted with danger he wusses out. He's also the most reluctant to fight of four, pretty weird for some one who has so much fighting prowess. So he shows a few spurts of awsomeness on occasion how does that "potencialy" make him better than Leo who trains all the time and takes ninjitsu seriously and gives all he's got all the time? I hear all the time that Mikey is a "natural athelete" or some sh** and that he is the fastest. All the turtles are pretty athletic and speedy so I don't see how that edges him ahead of them at all. He's lazy and just because he sometimes gives it more than ushual doesn't mean he is some fighting super god who can rival the likes of Leo if he puts more effert into it.

[triplexxx]

This is why I've mentioned before, about each of the turtle's individual advantages, that they're all only slight.
Yes, Michaelangelo's may be only slightly faster than the others, but Raphael's not much stronger than the others, nor is Leonardo much more skilled than the others, nor is Donatello much more acrobatic (yes, that's his "physical" advantage) than the others. None of them are "super fighting gods" as has been put...but they're all fairly well-accomplished masters. And all four of them have had at least one instance where they're able to rescue the other three all at once. And any of their individual advantages can indeed rival the others at any given time, it's just a matter of chance at who comes out on top.

[Hero]

Just jumped on this thread a little late

I think each of the TMNT has thier own fighting advantage: Leo with his discipline, Raph with his attitude, Don with his logic and Mikey with his goofyness (always good for psyching out).

I cant personally pinpoint who the best fighter is simply because I think it likely varies depending the boys are up against.

===HERO