Leonardo (2003)

Leonardo is the leader of the Ninja Turtles and is the most mature of the four.

## Appearance

Leonardo appears to be a normal, healthy teenage mutant turtle.

He is muscular and stocky like his brothers.

His skin tone is forest green and wears a blue ninja bandana.

As of the season three finale, part of his shell by his left shoulder was broken off during the final fight with the Shredder after he was stabbed in the shoulder.

## Personality

Leonardo is the leader with honor, sensitivity, patience, and encouragement.

He is the most "spiritual" of the four brothers.

Despite being a teenager, he acts kind of like a grown-up due to all his seriousness.

Of the brothers, he has the closest bond with Splinter, often going to him for help and attempting to follow his orders to a T (at least when his brothers aren't out causing trouble, forcing him to go along with their antics).

While responsible, Leo can still be sucked into trouble by his brothers out of his own curiosity or his sense of duty to keep an eye on them.

Leo has a strong sense of honor and ethics, along with being a dedicated follower of the Bushido code.

Episodes that deal with the Shredder and honor usually also focus on Leonardo.

He is also often the Turtle who "saves the day" (in fact, Leonardo is the turtle who decapitates the Shredder early on in the series—of course, before they are aware that Shredder is in fact an evil Utrom by the name of Ch'rell who doesn't have a neck, let alone a distinct head).

Raphael and Leonardo occasionally argue, with Leo annoyed at Raph's hotheaded tendencies and Raph annoyed at Leo always getting on his case.

They have had this dynamic since they were kids, with Raph even admitting that he thought he would be the leader one day, only to have Leo take the position instead.

However, the two are still shown to be very close and joke around with each other in more playful times.

All three of Leo's brothers view him as a pillar of strength.

They are at a loss when he is injured or absent, such as in the first season when the Foot Clan beat him unconscious and put him near death.

One of Leonardo's most prominent qualities is his determination to believe the best in people, even potential enemies (i.e., Quarry, Traximus and Karai).

This trait can cross over with being naive, though, as his trust almost led him to siding with the Shredder the first time they met.

Even so, he is willing to give even people who betray him a second chance if he sees good in them, such as with Karai.

His trust in her was shaken multiple times due to her inability to pick a side, but he still risked his life to save or assist her.

He only considered her a real enemy once she tried to kill his family, but even that passed once she showed her honor again.

Leo may be the most mature but don’t be fooled.

When Leonardo loses his temper, he would have emotional outbursts just like Raphael would if he was upset.

Sometimes his explosive outbursts can be more violent and raging than Raphael’s.

The first half of the fourth season shows a more traumatized, dark Leonardo, due to his feelings of failure, as did a short period in season one after the Shredder returns, in which he became depressed and angry.

It wasn’t until he accidentally injured Splinter and subsequently received training from the Ancient One that his personality returned to his normal calm, happy, and reassuring self.

## Skills & Weapons

Leonardo is extremely skilled and is very effective with his swords.

He displays balance in physical strength and mental strength.

He is the most responsible as he has to obey Master Splinter and keep an eye on his brothers.

## Weapons

* Swords
* Sword of Tengu (Formerly/Temporarily)

## Family

* Hamato Yoshi/Master Splinter (Adopted Father)
* Celestia Ordeis/Tang Shen (Adopted Mother)
* Raphael (Adopted Brother)
* Donatello (Adopted Brother)
* Michelangelo (Adopted Brother)