Donatello

*“Loom 16 take corridor B! Down the stairs past the Ibis tapestry. Sliding bookcase after bookcase shows the way to the hall. Up a pole through a hole in the waterfall . DONATELLO!! WITH A BOOK IN HIS HANDS! SAVES THE DAY AND PROVES TO EVERYONE THAT HE IS THE MAN!!”*

― Donatello’s song that oddly became famous

**Donatello**, or **Donnie** for a nickname, is a spiny softshell turtle who was mutated to become part human from mutant alchemist; yokai, Baron Draxum, before being taken in with three other turtles from a man named Hamato Yoshi. He's the most tech savvy out of his three brothers and often looks down upon them for not sharing his same level of intellect. He serves as one of the two tritagonists (alongside his younger brother, Mikey) of the series and the film.

## Physical appearance

Donnie is a mutant spiny softshell turtle with jade green skin, a light brown plastron, and a brown and green carapace with dark brown spots. The vertebrae of his spine protrude from underneath his carapace and he has geometric purple markings on his shoulders and thighs. He also has a large head, black eyes with yellow sclerae and teeth, thick black eyebrows, three fingers on each hand, and two toes on each foot. He wears a purple bandana that covers the top of his head with short rectangular bandana tails and a silver pair of asymmetric goggles with one red (right) and one blue (left) lens. He wears purple fingerless gloves and socks, a silver tech-gauntlet on his left wrist with a blue touchscreen, purple knee and elbow pads, a purple belt with matching pouches, and the Turtle emblem placed on the center. He also wears a purple Battle Shell that fits over his real shell.

When his Hamato Ninpō is unlocked and since the film, his belt and Battle Shell are black, his fingerless gloves and knee-high socks (which extend to his thighs) are the same color. His left fingerless glove now has a purple holographic touchscreen.

## Personality

While he is very adept when it comes to intellectual studies, Donatello is autistic, as confirmed by the creator, and demonstrates a low Emotional Intelligence. This means that he struggles with understanding certain basic human emotions, in reacting appropriately to those emotions in others, and in controlling and managing his own emotions. This does *not* mean he feels nothing, but that his experiences of emotion are very different to the average person.

Donnie values blunt honesty, and hardly ever lies. When he *does* lie, he's uncomfortable with doing so, being a very poor liar. And while not as innocently naive as Mikey, he takes people and their actions at face value, which makes him easy to manipulate. If somebody is saying and doing nice things, then that means they must be a nice person, such as in "Bug Busters" when Big Mama flatters him - he *knows* she is deliberately flattering him to get him to make the web-shooter, but because she is polite and helpful to him and his brothers, he does not consider she may have ulterior motives, even though Leo is suspicious. Also his initial meeting with the Purple Dragons went poorly, and they took advantage of his trust. He has also been manipulated by his own family repeatedly, but he doesn't really hold grudges.

Despite that, Donnie has a passive-aggressive streak that takes people off-guard. While he clearly loves his brothers, he also finds them annoyingly predictable in their behaviors as expressed in "The Longest Fight" and "One Man's Junk", and struggles to deal with this in an emotionally healthy way. Instead of directly confronting his brothers about their bad fighting habits in “Donnie's Gifts”, he creates personalised gifts that he hopes would teach them to change for the better. And when he grew tired of them picking on him in "Smart Lair", he reconstructed the entire lair to be remote controlled for the family's convenience, with the catch that S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N would play favourites with him. He is often sarcastic and has a penchant for cynical humour and deadpan insults.

Donnie often brags to his brothers of his high intelligence, much to their annoyance. He will describe his latest inventions at length, not realising he may be boring them. He hunts for praise anywhere he can get it, whether from parental figures or his own creations. However, he has confessed the fear that without his brains and tech, he'd mean nothing to his family and friends; as such he often invents extravagant technological gifts with personal touches without being requested, such as the Turtle Tank, and then talks them up even more. To some it may seem like boasting, but Donnie is effectively saying "I love you THIIIIS much." The presents in "Donnies' Gifts" were created with the misguided aim of protecting them, and he strives to use his intelligence to benefit and protect the whole team. This shows that while Donnie is confident in his intelligence being his greatest asset, and yearns for his family's approval and love, he *still* has a low self-value.

Because he's so desperate to prove his intelligence (and by extension his value), Donnie has difficulty drawing the line of where to stop when it comes to science and technology, such as accidentally creating the sentient Albearto because of constant upgrades to impress April, installing lasers in the roombas in "Smart Lair" as part of his prank, and creating the Donnie Pods and installing trackers in his brothers' shells to protect them without telling them first in the Movie.

While Donnie believes he has an image of an emotionally unavailable bad-boy, in reality he struggles with emotional outbursts, especially when he percieves insults against his intelligence or immature behaviour. He's excitable to the point of distraction such as when he sees Atomic Lass in Times Square and loses focus on the mission in “Mascot Melee”, or in "Mystic Library", where he loses track of himself and starts rapping loudly, despite familiarity with library rules. Of all the turtles, Donnie shows by far the most distress upon being emotionally manipulated, on the verge of tears when Splinter lied to him and Michelangelo in “Turtle-dega Nights: Ballad of Rat Man”, and enraged with the Purple Dragons for using him in "The Purple Jacket".

Despite his aforementioned emotionality, Donnie does have a tendency to seem aloof. He can be stubborn, refusing to budge his point unless he feels honestly convinced otherwise. He is especially staunch in his opinions on the sciences. However in Donnie vs Witch Town, he admitted that in truth he feared if mystic powers can do all he can, then his family won't need him, and even voiced his frustration that his brothers seemed to unlock and use their mystical powers without even trying, while he could not understand them at all. He feels the need to reinforce others’ faith in him, leading him to consequently panic if his tech goes awry such as when he is more concerned with the Turtle Tank working improperly being *his fault* in “The Mutant Menace” rather than the fact that it is working improperly.

Donnie seems unapologetic for his mistakes, but the truth is he refuses to make fake apologies just to gloss over a matter. He would rather avoid the issue altogether, such as in “Al Be Back” where he *claims* to April to have no memory of accidentally making Albearto evil just so they won't argue about it. However he still recognises when he is in the wrong, and makes a genuine apology to S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. for treating him unfairly in "Breaking Purple". Becoming a 'dad' seems to have improved Donnie's understanding of others somewhat.

Donnie is still uncomfortable with being touched unless he is given warning, and still finds managing his emotions difficult. In *Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie*, Raph insists that him catching Donnie (and Mikey) after being launched out of the Technodrome is a rescue and not a hug. Then, after seeing Leo getting trapped in the Prison Dimension, Donnie is shocked to realise that it's made him cry, since he generally does not cry impulsively as his brothers do.

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

* **Hamato Ninpō:** As a member of the Hamato Clan, Donatello has the ability to tap into his clan's energy to unleash his own mystic powers. Donnie was the last of the brothers to unlock his energy, but uses it with just as much skill.
	+ **Weapon generation:** Donnie can use his mystic powers to generate his weapon, namely his bo.
	+ **Tech formation:** While his brothers primarily use their powers to shield, and in ranged attacks, Donnie uses his Ninpo abilities to create complex and powerful weapons and even mystical versions of his advanced technology, so that he can go directly on the offence for them.

### Abilities

* **Bōjutsu:** Donnie has been highly trained in wielding a bō.
* **Genius Intellect:** Donnie's intellect is incredibly advanced far greater than the average human, creating many inventions for his weaponry or for him and his family's convenience.
* **Enhanced fabrication:** Donnie can create functional high-tech objects/weaponry, decorative art such as sculptures, and tools at varying levels of complexity with relative ease and at an astounding rate. This includes architectural work and construction using natural materials such as wood.
* **Enhanced memory:** Donnie can mentally write lyrical songs to retain information immediately upon receiving it.
* **Animal communication:** Donnie is able to speak with beavers and squirrels, ordering them to create whatever his asks.
* **Ninjutsu:** Donatello is skilled in ninjutsu, making him a competent foe to fight against.
	+ **Stealth:** Donnie is able to slip in and out of areas, unnoticed.
	+ **Speed:** Donnie is able to move quickly without being seen.
	+ **Strength:** Donnie posses greater strength than the average human.

* **Shurikenjutsu:** Donnie has the ability to wield shuriken.
* **Lip reading:** Donnie can understand what others are saying by merely observing their mouth movements.
* **Durability:** Due to his mutation, Donnie is able to handle increased levels of pain and physical trauma.
* **Pressure points:** By manipulating pressure points on others' bodies, Donnie is capable of reversing Marcus Moncrief's paralyzing nerve pinch technique.
* **Shell retraction:** Donnie is able fully retreat inside his battle-shell.

### Major Inventions

* **Tech-bo:** Donatello has created a techno-bo with a wide range of retractable weapon attatchments, far more advanced than just using a 'stick'. He uses it in battle rather than mystic tech like his brothers, but can also use it as a multi-tool. It has been constructed from high-grade titanium and is even effective against mystical enemies.
* **Battle-Shell:** The Battle Shell protects Donatello's soft shell. He has multiple varients, and can activate them by remote, then summon them to his location.
* **Flight Attachment:** Donatello's Battle Shells have a rotary attatchment and jet-pack that allows him to fly and hover, and is strong enough to carry a passenger.
* **Turtle Tank:** The Turtles' preferred mode of transport, engineered from the Jupiter Jim Moon Buggy.
* **Goggles:** Early in the series Donatello upgraded his goggles with a mystical crystal from Baron Draxum's lab so that he could also scan for mystical energy.
* **Mystic-Tech:** Donnie eventually learned to merge mystical powers with his advanced technology, which he nicknames 'Dummy-Tech'.
* **The Drill:** Donatello's pet ongoing project, the Drill is perpetually in and out of beta. Donatello does not seem entirely sure of what its final purpose should be, as it is constantly being upgraded into increasingly impressive forms. He has even constructed a giant mystical version of it with his Ninpo abilities.

## Relationships

### Family

* Hamato Yoshi - Father
* Baron Draxum - Creator
* Leonardo - Older Brother and Friend
* Raphael - Older Brother, Temporary Enemy and Friend
* Michelangelo - Younger Brother and Best Friend
* April O'Neil - Best Friend and Sister-figure
* Casey Jones - Friend and Nephew-figure
* Piebald - Adopted Sister
* Hamato Karai - Ancestral "Gram-Gram"

### Allies

* Todd Capybara - Friend
* Franken-Foot - Friend
* S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. - Creation and Partner
* Señor Hueso - Friend
* DIGG - Temporary Enemy
* Marcus Moncrief - Temporary Enemy, Idol, Friend
* Red Fox
* Bullhop - Friend
* Sunita - Friend
* Cassandra Jones - Temporary Enemy, Friend

### Enemies

* The Foot Clan
	+ The Shredder - Ancestral Grandfather, Attempted Killer
	+ Foot Lieutenant
	+ Foot Brute

* Krang
	+ Krang One - Attempted Killer
	+ Krang Two - Attempted Killer
	+ Krang Three - Attempted Killer

* Meat Sweats - Attempted Killer
* Hypno-Potamus - Situational Enemies
* Repo Mantis
* Warren Stone - Situational Enemies
* Big Mama - Situational Enemies
* Baxter Stockboy
* Albearto - Attempted Killer
* Ghostbear
* Sando Brothers

## Trivia

* This version of Donnie is the first to have an artificial shell in a *TMNT* TV series or film and the third time he has had an artificial shell in a licensed *TMNT* work overall.
	+ The first is the Image version, whose shell was shattered from a high fall, but whose life was saved by a shape-shifting A.I. who, among its various forms, fashioned an artificial shell. The second is the IDW version, whose carapace is prosthetic after having lost his original biological one.
	+ Donnie being a softshell turtle may suggest that his carapace is more susceptible than his brothers' as well as previous incarnations of the character.

* Donnie retreats into his shell in "Lair Games" (his only difficulty being a leg cast), something real-life softshell turtles can't do due to their reduced plastrons and carapaces.
* Donnie is stated by Raph in "Lair Games" to wear gloves when reading his comic books.
* Donnie is stated to be a bit more confident than his previous incarnations and he also knows that he is good at what he does.
* Donnie is the only Turtle to have visible eyebrows.
	+ According to "Lair Games", he has been drawing them on his mask for nine years.
* Donnie has a peculiar phobia of beach balls.
	+ It was first mentioned in "War and Pizza", but it was first seen in "Mind Meld".
	+ There is a brief flashback in "Lair Games" that references its possible origin.
	+ Other fears of his mentioned in "War and Pizza" are bees and spiders.
	+ When asked why Donnie fears beach balls in August 2020, *Rise of the TMNT* writer Russ Carney answered in a Tweet, "Just some strange affect that makes him weird(er).".
* Donnie used to wear glasses when he was younger as shown in "Lair Games" and "End Game". For how long is currently unknown.
* Donnie's favorite music genre is techno.
* Donnie is of the opinion that geology is boring.
* As mentioned by Raph in "Snow Day", Donnie sings all the musical parts of *Jupiter Jim's Pluto Vacation IV*.
* Donnie's least favorite animals are monkeys.
* One of Donnie's Battle Cries is "Fibbonacci".
* In "War and Pizza", Donnie states that his type is "cute but mean".
* The reason Donnie doesn't wear jackets is that they could get caught in the rotors of his battle shell.
* Donnie doesn't like Hawaiian pizza as expressed in "The Hidden City Job", although his voice actor does.
* Donnie is the first Turtle in the series to be seen without his mask.
* Donnie claims to "record everything" in "The Clothes Don't Make the Turtle".
* Donnie is right-handed as he consistently wears his tech-gauntlet on his left wrist and operates it with his right hand.
* It was revealed in February 2020 from *Rise of the TMNT* writer Russ Carney in a Tweet that, "Two characters we looked at when thinking about the direction #rottmnt's Mikey and Donnie should go, were Troy and Abed from *Community*."
* It was revealed in August 2020 from *Rise of the TMNT* writer Ron Corcillo in a Tweet that Donnie's Hamato Ninpō power was originally planned to be exclusively mystic like his brothers', stating, "Josh Brener himself deserves a lot of credit for this moment (as well as our amazing board team and story editor [Tony Gama-Lobo]). We originally had [Donnie] fully embrace his mystic power, but Josh felt it wasn't true to the character, so it was changed to a mystic-tech combo."
* Donnie's motor skills are lower than those of his brothers. He is often shown being more clumsy than them, and has inferior aim and catching skills in casual sports.
* When asked on Twitter, *Rise of the TMNT* writer Ron Corcillo stated that Donnie falls somewhere on the Autistic Spectrum.

## Gallery

* Donatello Gallery
* Donatello Quotes
* Donatello Appearances