One of the biggest indie comic success stories in the history of the industry is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. What started as a simple independent black and white comic has become a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. The TMNT show no signs of slowing down in the near future.
Being around since 1983 means that there have been a lot of Ninja Turtles' iterations. They have, for the most part, all been brothers trained by their mentor and father figure, Splinter. Some iterations definitely seem more dangerous than others, though none of them should be overlooked.
10 The Next Mutation Run Wasn't Exactly Great
In the late 1990s, there was a failed attempt to put a live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series out in the world. It was a haphazard film spinoff from that era. It changed way too much about the world that had been built already to be a success.
The Next Mutation version of the Turtles was not particularly impressive in battle. Part of the problem was that their weapons were different. They were still the Ninja Turtles, just not as fearsome as their film counterparts.
9 Back To The Sewer Brought The Turtles Home
The 2003 animated series did some jumping around through time. The seventh and final season took the Turtles home, back to the sewers beneath New York that were absolutely key to their entire story.
It wasn't exactly well-received by fans. The versions of the Turtles in it were not exactly at the top of their respective games. They may have been the Ninja Turtles but they just weren't up to their previous standards.
8 The Archie Comics Era Turtles Were More Comical
Starting in the late 1980s and running through the mid-'90s, Archie Comics had their own Ninja Turtles comics. While it was reminiscent in the tone and style of the animated series of the same era, they were not directly connected.
The comics started off being very Archie-like in tone. But as the series went on, things got a bit darker and more violent. Not as dark as Michelangelo in The Last Ronin, but still relatively dark in comparison to how things started. These Turtles were a little tougher than one would have expected.
7 The 1990s Animated Series Were Cartoonish In Battle
For a lot of people, the animated series of the 1990s is how they know the Ninja Turtles best. This was the textbook definition of classic Saturday morning cartoon glory. And it set a lot of expectations for everything that came after.
These Turtles were definitely tamed down from the original comics and extremely cartoony. But they were still well-trained ninja with a bounty of tech to work with thanks to Donatello. They were certainly formidable opponents.
6 The Turles In The 2012 Animated Series Were Rad
In 2012, Nickelodeon launched its iteration of the Turtles. This time, it was done in 3D animation and debuted to huge ratings. It was definitely a kid-friendly version of the Turtles but that worked in this case.
These Turtles definitely came across as being much younger than other portrayals. As such, they definitely didn't seem as tough at times but they still gave their enemies a run for their money on the battlefield.
5 2003 Animated Series Were Vicious In A Fight
Made by 4Kids Entertainment, Mirage Studios, who partially owned the rights to the characters, collaborated on this series. They looked straight-up bad to the bone. This was a group of Turtles who were not backing down from a fight.
A big part of that was the art style. It was less cartoony and a bit edgier. It came across as being designed for a bit older fan base who grew up on the 1990s series and was looking for that next step. These were tough turtles.
4 The Fast Forward Year Turtles Had A Technological Advantage
Season 6 of the 2003 series took the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on a time-traveling adventure. They were launched a hundred years into the future where they ended up finding advanced enemies in an openly multi-species future. They no longer had to hide.
The art and tone changed dramatically to make the series more kid-friendly. Oddly enough, this actually made this version of the Turtles a bit more powerful in a way. Their access to enhanced technology gave them quite an edge in combat.
3 1990s Film Franchise Were Trained & Tough
A big part of the success story that is the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are their 1990s movies. The first film hit theaters in 1990 and turned these characters into household names, keeping in mind that the famous artists they were named after were already household names.
The Turtles of the 1990 film in particular were quite reminiscent of the Turtles from the original comics. They had no problems fighting the Foot Clan and taking them out in a violent fashion. They weren't as brutal as their comic book counterparts but they still loved a good fight.
2 2010s Film Franchise Looked Pretty Powerful
A rebooted film franchise popped up in the 2010s. Instead of people in costumes with animatronic heads, these Turtles were fully CGI. And they did not go over as well with fans as their 1990s counterparts. At least they never time-traveled to feudal Japan, though.
Regardless of the relative quality of these films, the versions of the Turtles in them were much more powerful than most. They were bigger, stronger, and came across as being a lot more dangerous than other iterations. That might have been the fact that the CGI made them look more monstrous.
1 The Original Comic Book Turtles Were Straight Up Killers
When it comes right down to it, there's no topping the original version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The black and white comics that kicked everything off were the basis for quite literally everything that came after them.
The comics could be downright dark at times and were not afraid to get violent or kill off characters. These Turtles were warriors if not borderline assassins at times. Splinter trained killers in those days and it showed.