| “ | He who lives without honor... will end without honor! | „ |
| ~ Hamato's last words before the Shredder kills him; his most famous quote. |
Hamato Yoshi is one of the two overarching protagonists (alongside Splinter) of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003 cartoon series. He was the former owner and martial artist teacher of Splinter, and a member of the Guardians of the Utroms, until he was killed by the Utrom Shredder for refusing to tell him the Utroms' location.
He was voiced by Eric Stuart.
History[]
Hamato Yoshi was an orphan on the streets of Japan until he and his friend Yukio Mashimi were taken in by the Ancient One for his honesty. The elderly man taught them ninjutsu when they lived with him. Yoshi and Mashimi both fell in love with Tang Shen who was also taken in by the Ancient One. Both of them competed each other though it was clear Tang Shen loved Hamato Yoshi more, with the two adopted a rat who Tang Shen named Splinter. One night, Yoshi and Mashimi saw a man being attacked by four ninjas and came to save him. In the struggle, the man they saved was revealed to be the Utrom Mortu after his robotic arm was cut off. He offered the two to become guardians, which they both accepted.
Yoshi was promoted as a guardian a number of times while Mashimi never got a promotion. Angered that Yoshi was besting him in everything, Yukio Mashimi murdered Tang Shen and betrayed the Utroms to the Shredder. Yoshi was angered by Yukio's actions and broke into the Foot Headquarters to fight his former friend. Yoshi killed Mashimi and left to New York with the Utroms.
Sometime after, the Shredder tracked him down and interrogated him. When he refused to tell him about the Utroms, the Shredder killed him. Meanwhile, Splinter escaped, found and adopted the Turtles, and the five were mutated into anthropomorphic forms by the Utroms' mutagen. Splinter then trained the Turtles martial arts that he learned from Yoshi, but kept his past a secret to prevent them from trying to get revenge.
However, Splinter later reveals the truth to them when the Shredder, under his Oroku Saki persona, invites Leonardo to join him. Because of this, Leonardo refuses and the Turtles become the Shredder's archenemies. When the Utroms are about to return to their homeworld, Mortu gives Splinter a crystalline ball that can be used to activate the Utroms' collective memories on Earth, including those of Yoshi. It is later revealed that the Shredder is in fact an Utrom criminal named Ch'rell, who seeks revenge on the other Utroms for capturing him centuries ago.
In the Ninja Tribunal arc, it's revealed that Yoshi's death had been foreseen by the Ninja Tribunal but chose to let it pass knowing his unfortunate end would ensure Splinter and his would be adoptive sons Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello became what they are in the present day — ninjas who are more than capable of defeating Utrom Shredder AND his predecessor Tengu Shredder. In fact, Yoshi once asked the Tribunal for assistance in defeating the Utrom Shredder, but they refused due to him not being the 'true Shredder' (they knew Utrom Shredder was an alien who took the mantle of the Shredder from his demonic predecessor), leaving Splinter embittered by such ultimatum. In addition of (presumably) Karai taking the Shredder mantle and exploiting mystical connection between her and Tengu Shredder to weaken her demonic predecessor, the Ninja Tribunal foresaw Yoshi couldn't rest in peace without watching over his beloved pet Rat Splinter, leading to him tapping combined energies of the Turtles' acolyte amulets to temporarily return to life in a bid to assist them, culminating to the late Master Ninja cleft Tengu Shredder in half, ending the one true Shredder once and for all. He then bids a farewell to Splinter and the Turtles before disappearing to the afterlife.
Gallery[]
Images[]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- He is the first incarnation of Hamato Yoshi in an animated series to be Splinter's former owner just like in the Mirage comics, rather than Splinter himself pre-mutation.
- Ironically, Hamato Yoshi is the one who delivers the killing blow to the real Oroku Saki, which is a reversal to the rest of the franchise.
External Links[]
- Hamato Yoshi on the TMNT Wiki.
