As of today, how divisive is the TMNT fandom compared to others?

*Prowler* · 12-14-2023, 06:21 PM

I know a thread similar to this one was made nearly a decade ago or so, but that was 9 years ago or so, and things can change a lot in such timespan.

I think it's safe to say that the TMNT fandom is VERY divisive and has been so for a very long time. Normally you'd point the finger to the Fred Wolf series for being so different from the source material of Mirage... but considering how Mirage TMNT was a mere independent comic book at the time whose existence 99% of the world's population wasn't even aware of, for better or for worse it was the Fred Wolf series that ended up "defining" the image of what the Ninja Turtles are all about in the eyes of the public. And ofc the first 3 movies as well, but those are closer to FW than to Mirage despite a few things in them that are actually closer to Mirage. Pretty much no FW series fan has a problem with the first 3 movies.

The Next Mutation was cancelled ater one single season and came out after the FW series ended and the Turtlemania fad was dead. It's not well liked for the most part but its existence has been largely ignored for at least 20 years by now. How many TMNT fans do you even know who consider TNM their favourite version of the franchise? I'm sure there's like 5 of them but they represent a tiny fraction of the fandom. Clearly a smaller one than the Mirage fans.

Which means that, the 2k3 series was the first major point of fracture among the fandom. It was the return of the Ninja Turtles as a cartoon and what revived the franchise in the public conscience for the first time after the Turtlemania fad ended... and a lot of the fans who grew up with the FW series rejected it for being too different from the cartoon they grew up with. Some even didn't give it a chance and just criticised it for petty reasons. Plus, the show premiered at a time where pretty much everyone already had internet and internet forums were now popular places of discussion, which made it easier for people to gather and discuss it online. It was the first time you could discuss a current TMNT product online outside of niche communities like The Technodrome.

Then, fast forward to the Nick/Viacom sale and a new cartoon series comes out plus a comic book series by IDW and, ofc, the Platinum Dunes films. It+ don't need to remind you that a lot of older fans reject these versions as well, especially the Bay Turtles stuff and Rise.

Now, is TMNT the most divisive fandom ever? Eh probably not. That's a bold claim. But one of the most divisive ones? Could very well be, I guess. All fandoms have division within them, and I can't say I've been heavily involved in that many different fandoms throughout my life to properly assess this. Plus, the TMNT are kind of unique with having so many different takes and iterations to the point where it's gotten quite difficult to explain to a random person in 5 minutes only what the property and its main characters are all about. Some versions of the characters can be so different that they might as well be totally different characters who just happen to share the same name. How is that not going to lead to division within the fandom?

Personally, when it comes to my favourite properties, TMNT does seem to have the most divisive fandom of them all. The only other I can think of that comes somewhat close is the Zelda fandom. There's a lot of conflicting opinions about some of the games of the series... but the overall lore still seems consistent and the characters aren't beyond recognisable and hard to explain to others.

Thoughts?

12-14-2023, 06:21 PM	#1
Prowler Emperor Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Portugal Posts: 8,909	As of today, how divisive is the TMNT fandom compared to others? I know a thread similar to this one was made nearly a decade ago or so, but that was 9 years ago or so, and things can change a lot in such timespan. I think it's safe to say that the TMNT fandom is VERY divisive and has been so for a very long time. Normally you'd point the finger to the Fred Wolf series for being so different from the source material of Mirage... but considering how Mirage TMNT was a mere independent comic book at the time whose existence 99% of the world's population wasn't even aware of, for better or for worse it was the Fred Wolf series that ended up "defining" the image of what the Ninja Turtles are all about in the eyes of the public. And ofc the first 3 movies as well, but those are closer to FW than to Mirage despite a few things in them that are actually closer to Mirage. Pretty much no FW series fan has a problem with the first 3 movies. The Next Mutation was cancelled ater one single season and came out after the FW series ended and the Turtlemania fad was dead. It's not well liked for the most part but its existence has been largely ignored for at least 20 years by now. How many TMNT fans do you even know who consider TNM their favourite version of the franchise? I'm sure there's like 5 of them but they represent a tiny fraction of the fandom. Clearly a smaller one than the Mirage fans. Which means that, the 2k3 series was the first major point of fracture among the fandom. It was the return of the Ninja Turtles as a cartoon and what revived the franchise in the public conscience for the first time after the Turtlemania fad ended... and a lot of the fans who grew up with the FW series rejected it for being too different from the cartoon they grew up with. Some even didn't give it a chance and just criticised it for petty reasons. Plus, the show premiered at a time where pretty much everyone already had internet and internet forums were now popular places of discussion, which made it easier for people to gather and discuss it online. It was the first time you could discuss a current TMNT product online outside of niche communities like The Technodrome. Then, fast forward to the Nick/Viacom sale and a new cartoon series comes out plus a comic book series by IDW and, ofc, the Platinum Dunes films. It+ don't need to remind you that a lot of older fans reject these versions as well, especially the Bay Turtles stuff and Rise. Now, is TMNT the most divisive fandom ever? Eh probably not. That's a bold claim. But one of the most divisive ones? Could very well be, I guess. All fandoms have division within them, and I can't say I've been heavily involved in that many different fandoms throughout my life to properly assess this. Plus, the TMNT are kind of unique with having so many different takes and iterations to the point where it's gotten quite difficult to explain to a random person in 5 minutes only what the property and its main characters are all about. Some versions of the characters can be so different that they might as well be totally different characters who just happen to share the same name. How is that not going to lead to division within the fandom? Personally, when it comes to my favourite properties, TMNT does seem to have the most divisive fandom of them all. The only other I can think of that comes somewhat close is the Zelda fandom. There's a lot of conflicting opinions about some of the games of the series... but the overall lore still seems consistent and the characters aren't beyond recognisable and hard to explain to others. Thoughts?