Master Splinter

### Likes

Peace, balance, rice, training his students, compassion, hot baths, Hugo's heroism, controlled behavior, appreciation, fire dancing

### Dislikes

Doom's cruelty, his son's stubbornness, thefts, immature behavior

### Powers and abilities

Rat Style of Kung-Fu
Physical strength

## Family information

### Other relatives

Karate Lion (adoptive son)

**Master Splinter** is the tritagonist of the feature film, the Karate Boy and a major character in the Black Lion franchise. He's the adoptive father of the Karate Lion and a martial artist who trains the American warrior.

## Background

Master Splinter is recognized as the greatest Kung-Fu master in all of China. It all started with Splinter rescuing several children from a burning daycare and defending them from thugs when they were traveling through the woods. Since then, Splinter wanted to pass off his teachings to aspiring students. His first group of students included a few animals and a human named Dao. Splinter managed to bond with most of his students but he was extremely strict on Dao and reprimanded him on not completing a training exercise.

Splinter eventually grew elderly and his students have mastered all of the levels of Kung-Fu, including Dao. Although Splinter was content and satisfied with his students being masters in Kung-Fu, he felt lonely and wished to have a child and become a fatherly figure. However, one night, Splinter hears a knock from the door and meets a now-orphan Bao. Bao explains about his parents' death and Splinter is immediately shocked when he learned that his former student Dao, now nicknamed Doom was responsible for the death of Burning Lion and his wife.

Feeling remorse over Bao's loss and feeling that Doom's villainy was his fault, Splinter adopts Bao and trains him to become a master martial artist as well. Over the years, Doom came across other animals and invited them to stay in the Ruby Palace after he saved or if they wanted to make a late relative proud.

### Development

Master Splinter was loosely based off of the Master Splinter character from the *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* franchise. Fun fact is that the storywriter wasn't a huge fan of the TV show but was greatly inspired by the Master Splinter character. Master Oogway from *Kung Fu Panda* helped the storywriter create an eccentric but wise personality for Splinter.

### Voice

The storywriter began to imagine the voice of Master Splinter being Dustin Hoffman since he played Master Shifu from the *Kung Fu Panda* franchise.

### Personality

Master Splinter is an individual who leads people down the right path or encourages them to follow their dream rather than their duties. When greeted by others, he appears a soft-spoken person. As shown with Hugo, Splinter was capable of detecting negative emotions or distraught. Visitors like Hugo may initially see Splinter as a "strange" or "weird" but his unusual behavior can usually change into a more civilized one. For visitors like Hugo, Splinter's sociable personality if he bonds with that certain visitor.

Underneath his eccentric and strange behavior, Splinter has displayed different feats of compassion in the film. He comforted Hugo when he was angry over his first day of training. Before officially bonding with the Fiery Five, Splinter was the first friend that Hugo made on his journey in Beijing. Unlike his son, Splinter never placed so much responsibility on Hugo, in fact, it was pressure that kept Hugo from regaining his skills. It took the Karate Lion seeing and impatiently waiting for him to learn that he's placing too much responsibility on Hugo.

Ironically, while encouraging others not to place too responsibility on their students, Splinter put a lot of responsibility on himself by admitting that Doom's villainy was all his fault. He believes that if he wasn't too hard on Doom, he never would've turn evil. He also believed that being beaten half to death by Doom is what he deserves. In the end, it is shown that Doom wanted to gain power and wealth with his Kung-Fu skills, thus it was never Splinter's austerity that turned Doom evil, he was evil to began with.

### Physical appearance

Master Splinter is a a muscular black rat wearing a blue robe. He walks around with a bowstaff which is initially thought to be used for his advanced age but it was eventually revealed that he carries it around with him because it's a weapon.

## Appearances

### The Karate Boy

Master Splinter is seen in the garden of the Ruby Palace, where he witnesses a distress Hugo angrily chopping wood, despite the fact that it's the middle of May. While Hugo tries to hide his feelings, Splinter manages to persuade the American Warrior into explaining his emotions. Hugo explains his first day of training being a disaster due to the Karate Lion being a harsh teacher. Splinter reassures Hugo by telling him that his son has a heart of gold and will be shown eventually. Splinter leaves the garden, leaving Hugo to wonder how this advice is going to help him train.

The next morning, Hugo was supposed to battle the Karate Lion, the Fiery Five and Splinter for training that day. Unfortunately, Hugo failed miserably but for his sake, the Fiery Five comforted him as well as befriending him. While meditating, Splinter is approached but an anxious Karate Lion who tells him about Doom nearly approaching China. He reassures his son by telling him that China's only hope of survival is Hugo. The Karate Lion then expresses his bitterness over Hugo's age and failures in the training. Unbeknownst to Splinter and the Karate Lion, Hugo was outside of the room and overheard everything. Deeply offended, Matthew angrily leaves the Ruby Palace and tries to returns home.

Luckily, the Karate Lion manages to stop Matthew from departing Beijing but berates him over his actions. Back in the Ruby Palace, Splinter notices his son crying over his actions. He goes over to his room and warmly comforts him. It is then that Splinter and the gang get out of the Palace and get the training done in a different manner. The next morning, the gang travel to a mountain and while they're over there, Splinter and the Fiery Five are able to train Hugo in different manner. In a few short days, Hugo regains his karate skills.

Even though, Hugo was ready to fight Doom, Splinter believes that it's still too dangerous for his students to handle, so he chooses to fight Doom, himself, despite the possibility of him being killed. Later that night, Splinter and Doom meet once again and two masters fight. Although, Splinter goes off to a clear start, Doom begins to show off his newly-gained strength that surpasses Splinter's strength. Barely alive, Splinter apologizes to Doom for his strict and austere nature but Doom, barely touched by the heartfelt apology prepares to kill Splinter, not before Hugo and the Fiery Five come over to confront their rival.

Splinter is taken to a hospital while the Fiery Five, the Karate Lion and Hugo fight Doom. Later on, Doom is defeated and his demise magically revives Splinter. For proving himself as a wise and warm teacher, Splinter deems the Karate Lion, a Senior Karate Master and awards Hugo with a ruby pendant for saving China from Doom's wrath.

One week later, Splinter, Hugo, the Karate Lion and the Fiery Five perform a fire dance for the visiting Wootens. Splinter then watches in delight as his son and Hugo happily embrace, knowing that they're now best friends.

### The Black Lion

Splinter appears in the cartoon series as a major character. He serves as a protagonist in the episode *Moving Day* and will again in other upcoming episodes.