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| “ | See? Nothing beats cutting wit! | „ |
| ~ Raphael |
Raphael is one of the main protagonists of the 1987 cartoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He is the brother of Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo and adoptive son of Splinter.
In the first nine seasons of the original series (except for two Season 3 episodes and the European Vacation sideseason) and in the crossover episodes with the 2012 TV series, he was voiced by Rob Paulsen, who also voiced Yakko Warner and Dr. Otto Scratchansniff in Animaniacs, Pinky in Pinky & the Brain, Donatello in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012 animated series), Carl Wheezer in The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Reuben in Lilo & Stitch: The Series, Gusto Gummi in The Adventures of the Gummi Bears and Stanley Ipkiss in The Mask (animated series).
In the final season of the original series, he was voiced by Michael Gough, who also voiced Gopher in the Winnie-the-Pooh franchise, Deckard Cain in the Diablo series, James Gordon in Batman: Arkham Origins, Shrek in the tie-in video games, and the Carmine Brothers in the Gears of War series.
Appearance[]
Raphael wears a red bandana and has a pair of sais as his main weapons.
Personality[]
His personality in the 1987 animated series deviates the most from all other incarnations, though the show's theme song states that Raphael is "cool, but crude" (he takes a slice of pizza with his sai and shoves the rest of it onto the screen). Despite the theme's reference to his crudeness, he had a more toned-down attitude in this incarnation opposed to all other incarnations, as this series was based primarily on humor. Raphael is a sarcastic wise-guy, and supplies comic relief alongside Michelangelo, whose humor is usually attributed to his ignorance and spaciness, whereas Raphael is more sarcastic and witty. As a result, Michelangelo is the subject of Raphael's jokes more than any other Turtle. He frequently makes jokes that break the fourth wall.
He has a far less confrontational relationship with his friends and fellow Turtles — the most striking example being his lack of a sibling rivalry with Leonardo. Raphael has no desire to steal anyone's thunder or become a leader; he's perfectly content providing the wittiest of the cartoon's jokes, being the most humorous turtle of the group. Despite this, Raphael usually served as a contrast to Leonardo's "gung-ho do-gooder" persona with his pessimistic sarcastic remarks. However, Raphael did challenge Leonardo's leadership once in the season 8 episode "Turtle Trek".
History[]
TMNT 1987[]
In the Season 4 episode "Raphael Meets His Match", Raphael was paired off with a mysterious mutant female named Mona Lisa, who might have been considered as a potential girlfriend for Raphael. Despite following the Turtles back to New York City, Mona Lisa was never seen again.
In the season 5 episode "Raphael Versus the Volcano", due to a malfunction in Donatello's Healthometer, Raphael was convinced that he soon was going to die and decided to end his life as a hero named the "Green Defender", saving people from dangers and stopping criminals when he thought he had nothing to lose. When the Healthometer malfunction was discovered, the other Turtles tracked him down to tell him he wasn't going to die.
Turtles Forever[]
He (alongside his brothers) gets captured by Hun and are saved by the 2003 universe Turtles. After being rescued by them, they reveal that they were teleported to their universe after their fight with both 1987 versions of Krang and Shredder, specifically with the Technodrome. They help them stop Utrom Shredder from destroying the multiverse.
TMNT 2012[]
Raphael also made a couple of appearances in the 2012 series in first appearing in "The Manhattan Project" as a cameo. He and the other turtles along with Casey and April are seen through a portal by their 2012 counterparts walking on a road and he made a speaking cameo along with the other turtles at the end of the episode when a space worm from the 2012 dimension started terrorizing the street. All four turtles see the worm and spring into action while shouting their famous catchphrase, 'Cowabunga'.
Trivia[]
- Rob voiced Donatello in the 2012 reboot.
- This would be Rob Paulsen's second role in the 2012 series, the other being Donatello while he returned to his role as Raphael for the cameo. This would mark the first time in over 28 years the 1987 TMNT cast would return to their roles. Paulsen once again provided the voices of the 1987 Raphael and the 2012 Donatello in the season 4 episode, "Trans-Dimensional Turtles" as well as the "Wanted: Bebop and Rocksteady" story arc in the final season.
External Links[]
- Raphael on TurtlePedia.
