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| “ | Hot Soup! | „ |
| ~ Splinter's catchphrase. |
Hamato Yoshi, also known as Splinter, or Lou Jitsu for a celebrity name, is one of the two deuteragonists (alongside April O'Neil) of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and its feature film sequel.
He is voiced by Eric Bauza, who also voices Woody Woodpecker in the animated franchise of the same name, Puss in Boots in both The Adventures of Puss in Boots and The Trident, and Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd and Marvin the Martian in Space Jam: A New Legacy.
Appearance[]
Splinter is a mutant rat with long straight white hair-styled half up in a bun, a white beard, white bushy eyebrows, short grey fur, and a short, plump figure. His legs from the elbows down and arms are both light pink (with his hands having five fingers instead of the usual four). He has black eyes with yellow sclera, a dark pink nose and tail, black whiskers on his cheeks, and a nick in his right ear. He wears a brown yukata with yellow trim and the Hamato Clan emblem placed on its heart. He also wears a black hair tie.
Personality[]
His personality is much less elegant, now more humorous, crude, and partakes in gluttonous activities (such as eating a whole cake on the couch while watching a game show.) Splinter however retains his martial arts knowledge and acrobatic moves, and eventually mentors the turtles into becoming better ninja.
History[]
Childhood and rise to fame[]
Yoshi is a descendant of the Hamato ninja clan who defeated the Shredder 500 years ago and trained themselves to fight against the Foot Clan and prevent the Shredder's return. When Yoshi was a young child, he heard the story of how the Shredder was defeated from his grandfather, Hamato Sho, but on that same spring day, Yoshi's mother, Hamato Atsuko, left her father and son so that she could perform her clan duty, which devastated Yoshi.
For many years afterwards, Yoshi trained under Sho in ninjutsu so that he may defeat Shredder should he be resurrected, quickly mastering it. However, Yoshi's grief over his mother leaving him eventually turned into bitterness towards his own clan, leading him to disbelieve the existence of the Shredder. Then one day, as a teenager, Yoshi entered an argument with his grandfather, which led to him deciding to abandon his family duties so that he could pursue his dream of going to Hollywood to become a movie star.
Using the skills he was taught, Yoshi quickly rose to national fame and fortune as the action star known as "Lou Jitsu" before leaving for the United States of America and attaining prominence there as well. Then one day while filming in the United States, he was visited by Sho, who demanded that Yoshi end his career so that he could return home to fulfill his true destiny. However, Yoshi sternly refused one more time before closing his trailer's door in his face. Seeing that Yoshi had truly cut ties with his clan, the saddened Sho chose to respect his grandson's wish and left, never to speak to him again. Yoshi watched from the window as his grandfather walked away, slightly remorseful for how he treated his former teacher.
Kidnapping and mutation[]
While shooting for Crouching Shrimp Hidden Tiger Prawn, Yoshi met Big Mama, the driver of his filming trailer, and the two started a romantic relationship. However, Yoshi was unaware that she wasn't a human, despite some obvious signs displayed during their time together. After attempting to propose to Big Mama while on a date at Dinner on the Green, she forced him into her Battle Nexus, where he triumphed over his opponents and earned the title of the greatest Battle Nexus Champion of all time. Sometime later, Yoshi swore off fighting in the Battle Nexus and tried to resume a lifestyle where he wouldn't be so violent towards others. As a consequence, Big Mama imprisoned him in a Battle Nexus cell.
However, Yoshi's fame in the Battle Nexus attracted the attention of Baron Draxum, who wished to use his DNA to mutate an army that would serve him. Draxum, with the help of Huginn and Muninn, brought Yoshi to his laboratory to carry out his plan. Once Yoshi realized Draxum was going to use him to mutate the Turtles from their natural state, he objected, but was too late. Draxum submerged them in capsules of ooze and it was through this process that they were mutated from ordinary reptiles, making Yoshi the biological father of their human genes. Unwilling to watch animals be turned into monsters for Draxum's cause, Yoshi freed himself and Draxum's experiments. In the midst of his escape, he tried freeing the rat from his Battle Nexus cell as well. In turn, it bit Yoshi as he was exposed to the ooze, resulting in his mutation. Huginn and Muninn destroyed the laboratory and it went up in flames, leading Draxum to believe that the Turtles had been killed in the fire. Yoshi successfully escaped the Hidden City with them and raised his children in the New York City sewers.
Splinter remained unaware of his sons' contact with Draxum and the Foot until the events of "Shadow of Evil". Upon discovering evidence of the Foot, he impersonated a teenager and managed to spy upon his enemies, discovering that they were reassembling the Kuroi Yōroi. Realizing that this foreboded the possible return of the Shredder, Splinter pretended to be a member of the clan in order to take a piece of the armor. This attempt was thwarted by Draxum and, unwittingly, his sons. Upon escaping without the armor piece, Splinter promised to tell his sons "everything" and stated that they were "way behind" on their destiny.
Trivia[]
- He is featured with a drastic redesign.
- His voice actor, Eric Bauza best known voicing as Patches from Bunnicula, White Pantera from El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, Stimpy from Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon", Belly Bag from Uncle Grandpa, Tiger Claw from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012 Series), Driba form Ben 10: Omniverse and Puss in Boots from The Adventures of Puss in Boots.
External Links[]
- Splinter on TurtlePedia.
