Why is Raph so angry?

[ticktack]

He has his worries, gets bothered and others. If he wouldn't have had those he would've been a 98% happy person in his appearances with fastly coming and fastly passing anger.

[Luckyday]

Because he's always low on carbs?

[JTH]

Typical New Yorker

[KirkyMonster]

I tried to read every post and some of you have tip toed around it but I think for the first time I got some info for you.

Volume 1 issue #28 "Sons of the Silent Age" deals with the turtles especially Raphael looking at his life introspectively. What I got out of this issue is that Raphael is angry because him and his brothers are already extinct. There are no female mutant turtles to carry on their unique species and even if there were there's definitely not enough to ensure survival of a mutant turtle species. Raphael is waiting to become extinct and the whole while he has the FOOT trying to kill him and his entire unique species and family.
I'd be a bit pissed too.

[Refractive Reflections]

Originally Posted by KirkyMonster

I tried to read every post and some of you have tip toed around it but I think for the first time I got some info for you.

Volume 1 issue #28 "Sons of the Silent Age" deals with the turtles especially Raphael looking at his life introspectively. What I got out of this issue is that Raphael is angry because him and his brothers are already extinct. There are no female mutant turtles to carry on their unique species and even if there were there's definitely not enough to ensure survival of a mutant turtle species. Raphael is waiting to become extinct and the whole while he has the FOOT trying to kill him and his entire unique species and family.
I'd be a bit pissed too.

I remember reading/hearing about that, but I still think perspective is the biggest component here though because Michelangelo is the same situation as Raphael but Michelangelo doesn't dwell as heavily on it (and the other negatives of their lives) as Raphael does.

[Cryomancer]

He's got the ability, weapons, training, and desire to fight but only "gets to" fight occasionally and even then it's often under the orders of others. He probably takes enjoyment in violence, and that can fuel his anger in that he either thinks he should not, or that he doesn't see why others think he should not. He's direct-approach minded, but is part of a team who has orders and restrictions and tactics and goals other than just "murder the enemy".

There is also that whole thing where he gets future knowledge about how messed up his life / relationship with Shadow can/will be, but that's obviously much later in his life.

[KirkyMonster]

As far as perspective goes if you think about it the other turtles might have their personal interests as a coping mechanism to deal with the issues that Raphael can't get over.

Leonardo = Endless pursuit of martial perfection
Donatello = Does machines and then does some more
Michaelangelo = Writing, Skateboarding, Comic books
Raphael = Getting drunk and getting bit by vampires...
or maybe just getting drunk if you haven't read volume 4

I think Raphael dwells on the fact that they will be extinct while the other turtles keep themselves occupied with other things.

[pennydreadful]

Originally Posted by Raphtastic

I agree with everyone who's mentioned that Raph struggles with their place in the world and is, deep down, insecure about being perceived as a freak. If Leo is an idealist, I think Raph is a jaded idealist, grappling with the unfairness he sees in the world and his own relative lack of power in the face of that. I think that's why he channels so much of his energy into physical strength and power--it's the one thing he feels he truly can control. I personally think it's also the one thing he's 100% confident about.

I also think he's sensitive. He literally cares so much about everything and can't let anything go, so he tries to put distance between himself and others by withdrawing or lashing out. He's impatient and has a short fuse, sure. But, really, I think he hates feeling weak or powerless, and his own emotions make him feel that way. So, he puts on a tough guy act. He avoids thinking too hard (that'd mean acknowledging unpleasant feelings like fear, pain, doubt) and just acts out. Action, particularly aggressive action, is something Raphael understands and feels comfortable with.

I agree with everything that Raphtastic has said. Raph's a loner and introspective, so he spends a lot of time thinking about things that he's powerless to change. I think he has a hard time verbalising his fears and insecurities, let alone letting his guard down enough to share his frustrations in a non-combative way. So he dwells on things and keeps them bottled up.

I feel that most of his anger stems from both the crappy state of the world that he lives in, and being an outsider, a "freak" if you will, and feeling worthless because of that. Feeling powerless, combined with a fear of rejection/failure. If you think about Raph having difficulty with self-acceptance and a solid sense of self-worth, it makes sense that he keeps everyone at a distance. I think that he's the most emotional of the Turtles, and he uses his anger to keep people at arms length and avoid being hurt - because despite his crusty exterior, he is a softy deep down and he probably dislikes the feeling of vulnerability that brings.

People with low self esteem often hold themselves up to ridiculously high standards which are impossible to achieve, and base a lot of their self-worth on their achievements - focusing on his fighting skills is, I imagine, a big part of how Raph both switches off and channels his negative emotions.