Ninja Turtle Names: Every TMNT Character and Who They Are

The four Ninja Turtle names are Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo, named after four Italian Renaissance artists. Leonardo wears blue and fights with twin katanas, Raphael wears red with twin sai, Donatello wears purple with a bo staff, and Michelangelo wears orange with nunchaku.

Those ninja turtle names are only the start, though. Over four decades of comics, cartoons, films and games, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have built one of the biggest casts in pop culture: a rat sensei, a hockey-masked vigilante, a brain from another dimension and dozens of mutants. This guide covers the turtles in every major version and then the allies, villains and mutants around them, so you can put a name to every face.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Names, Colors and Weapons

Leonardo

Leonardo is the most dedicated student of ninjutsu and usually the team’s leader. He carries the weight of responsibility and often clashes with Raphael over how to handle a fight. His blue mask and two katanas have been constant in almost every version since 1987.

Raphael

Raphael is the muscle and the temper. He is fiercely loyal but quick to anger, and he frequently goes off alone, which is how he met vigilante Casey Jones in the comics. His sai are defensive weapons used for trapping and striking, fitting his close-range style.

Donatello

Donatello builds the team’s vehicles, computers and gadgets. His bo staff gives him the longest reach of the four. In some versions he is the gentlest brother, preferring to out-think enemies rather than overpower them.

Michelangelo

Michelangelo is the fun-loving, pizza-obsessed youngest brother who brought “Cowabunga!” to the mainstream through the 1987 cartoon. Underneath the jokes, many versions show him as the most emotionally perceptive turtle. Early comics and merchandise sometimes spelled his name “Michaelangelo,” a variant fans still spot on vintage items.

TMNT Names and Colors Across Every Version

The basic names never change, but details do. Here is how the main versions differ.

Rise of the TMNT weapons

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles swapped the classic gear: Leonardo uses an odachi (a long sword), Raphael uses tonfa, Donatello uses a high-tech bo staff, and Michelangelo uses a kusari-fundo (a weighted chain). It is the version most likely to confuse anyone who grew up on the 1987 cartoon.

Why the Turtles Are Named After Renaissance Artists

Eastman and Laird chose four Italian Renaissance masters, and the contrast between Japanese-style ninja warriors and European painters and sculptors became part of the joke. In several versions, Splinter names his sons after artists from a Renaissance art book he found in the sewers. Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael worked in the same High Renaissance era, while Donatello, a sculptor, belongs to the earlier generation of the 1400s.

What the names mean

Allies of the Ninja Turtles

• Splinter: the turtles’ rat father and sensei. In the Mirage comics he was the pet rat of ninja Hamato Yoshi; in the 1987 cartoon and 2012 series he is Yoshi himself, mutated into a rat. In Rise he was a martial-arts movie star known as Lou Jitsu. Jackie Chan voiced him in Mutant Mayhem.
• April O’Neil: the turtles’ first human friend. She began as a lab assistant in the comics, became a TV news reporter for Channel 6 in the 1987 cartoon and is a teen aspiring journalist in Mutant Mayhem.
• Casey Jones: a hockey-masked vigilante armed with sports gear. He first appeared in a 1985 Raphael comic and becomes Raph’s closest friend.
• Venus de Milo: a female fifth turtle introduced in the 1997 live-action series Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation.
• Jennika: a former Foot Clan ninja in the IDW comics who becomes a mutant turtle and joins the family.
• Usagi Yojimbo: a rabbit samurai created by Stan Sakai, a frequent crossover ally.
• Leatherhead: a mutant alligator who is usually an ally; in Mutant Mayhem the character is female and part of Superfly’s gang.
• Mona Lisa: a mutant salamander and Raph’s love interest in the 1987 and 2012 cartoons.
• Metalhead: a robot turtle, built by Donatello in the 2012 series.
• Irma and Vernon Fenwick: April’s friend and her Channel 6 cameraman in the 1987 cartoon.

Ninja Turtle Villains

• The Shredder (Oroku Saki): leader of the Foot Clan and the turtles’ arch-enemy, recognized by his bladed armor.
• The Foot Clan: Shredder’s ninja army, often robots (“Foot Soldiers”) in kid-friendly versions.
• Krang: a brain-like warlord from Dimension X who pilots a robot body and the rolling Technodrome fortress in the 1987 cartoon.
• Bebop and Rocksteady: a mutant warthog and rhino created for the 1987 cartoon. They appeared in the 2016 film Out of the Shadows and Mutant Mayhem, where Seth Rogen and John Cena voiced them.
• Baxter Stockman: an inventor who builds the robotic Mousers; the 1987 version mutated into a fly, and in Mutant Mayhem he created Superfly.
• Karai: a high-ranking Foot Clan warrior; the 2012 series reveals she is Splinter’s daughter, raised by Shredder.
• Tokka and Rahzar: a mutant snapping turtle and wolf from the 1991 film The Secret of the Ooze.
• Hun: leader of the Purple Dragons street gang in the 2003 series.
• Tiger Claw: a tiger mutant assassin in the 2012 series.
• Rat King: a sewer-dwelling villain who controls rats.
• Baron Draxum: the Rise villain who created the turtles’ mutagen, voiced by John Cena.
• Superfly: the main villain of Mutant Mayhem, voiced by Ice Cube.

The Mutant Gang and Other Mutant Names

Mutant Mayhem gave a new generation the names of mutants that first became popular through the 1990s Archie comics and toy line. The film’s voice cast, as announced by the studio, includes:

The turtles themselves were voiced by actual teenagers in the film: Nicolas Cantu (Leonardo), Brady Noon (Raphael), Micah Abbey (Donatello) and Shamon Brown Jr. (Michelangelo), with Ayo Edebiri as April O’Neil. Other notable mutants across the franchise include Slash (an evil mutant turtle in the 1987 cartoon who became a complicated anti-hero in 2012), and Fugitoid, a scientist trapped in a robot body.

How to Tell the Turtles Apart Quickly

1. Look at the mask color. Blue, red, purple, orange in Leo, Raph, Donnie, Mikey order. This works for every version except the original comics.
2. Check the weapon. Swords mean Leonardo, three-pronged daggers mean Raphael, a long staff means Donatello, chained sticks mean Michelangelo.
3. Read the belt. In the 1987 cartoon and its toys, each turtle wears his initial on his belt buckle.
4. Listen to the attitude. Orders from Leo, sarcasm from Raph, tech talk from Donnie and jokes from Mikey.
5. In Rise, check the shell. The brothers are different turtle species with distinct shapes, so silhouette gives them away.

Ninja Turtle Names for Pets, Teams and Costumes

TMNT names are popular for pet turtles, group costumes and sports teams. For four pets, the classic set is easy, but there are fresh ways to use the cast:

• A pair: Bebop and Rocksteady, Leo and Raph, Casey and April.
• A single pet turtle: Splinter (ironic for a turtle), Shelldon, Venus, Slash or Donnie.
• A group costume of five: the four turtles plus April, or plus Venus de Milo.
• Team names: The Foot Clan, Team Cowabunga, The Mutanimals, The Technodrome.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the four Ninja Turtles’ names?

Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo. Their nicknames are Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey.

What are the TMNT names and colors?

Leonardo wears blue, Raphael wears red, Donatello wears purple and Michelangelo wears orange. In the original 1984 comics all four wore red masks.

What are the ninja turtle names and weapons?

Leonardo uses twin katanas, Raphael uses twin sai, Donatello uses a bo staff and Michelangelo uses nunchaku. Rise of the TMNT changed these to an odachi, tonfa, a tech bo and a kusari-fundo.

Who is the leader of the Ninja Turtles?

Leonardo is the leader in most versions. In Rise of the TMNT, Raphael is the eldest and starts as leader before Leonardo steps up.

Which Ninja Turtle is the oldest?

It depends on the version. Most series treat the four as the same age, with Leonardo acting as the eldest by role and Michelangelo as the youngest. Rise of the TMNT is the clear exception, where Raphael is explicitly the oldest brother.

Is there a girl Ninja Turtle?

Yes. Venus de Milo appeared in the 1997 live-action series The Next Mutation, and Jennika became a mutant turtle in the IDW comics.

What is the rat’s name in Ninja Turtles?

The turtles’ rat sensei and adoptive father is Splinter. Depending on the version, he is either Hamato Yoshi’s pet rat or Hamato Yoshi himself, transformed by mutagen.