Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

***Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles*** (TV Series 2012-2017), also commonly referred to as **TMNT 2012** and called ***Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles*** for its fifth and final season, is an American 3D-rendered computer-animated martial arts action-adventure comedy-drama television animated series developed by the Nickelodeon Animation Studio in the franchise of the same name. A one hour sneak peek was released on September 28, 2012, while the official premiere aired and debuted on Nickelodeon and YTV (both in Canada and the USA) on September 29, 2012 with a two-part special episode ("Rise of the Turtles"). The series premiered in the United Kingdom and Ireland on October 1, 2012 and in Australia along with New Zealand on October 8, 2012. It is the third animated *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* television series and is produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio. Composer Sebastian Evans provided the show's score. Nickelodeon acquired the global rights to *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* from the Mirage Group and 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. and announced a new CGI-animated TMNT television series.

## Overall Plot

### Season 1

Ninjutsu sensei Hamato Yoshi (Splinter) is carrying his four pet turtles through the streets of Manhattan, New York City when he encounters members of an alien race called The Kraang. During an altercation with these aliens, Yoshi and the turtles are exposed to a mysterious radioactive alien chemical substance ooze called Mutagen which causes organic beings to undergo major physical transformations. Yoshi becomes (and takes of the characteristics of) a humanoid brown rat and the turtles become anthropomorphic, taking on human characteristics. Taking upon the new name "Splinter", he retreats to the New York City sewers via the subway tunnels, where he finds an underground chamber, raises the four turtles as his adopted sons and imparts to them his knowledge of ninjutsu.

Now teenagers, the Turtles (Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael) venture to the surface for the first time in 15 years and learn that the Kraang are using the mutagen as part of their plan to take over all of New York City. The Turtles befriend the teenage April O'Neil after she and her father Kirby O'Neil are abducted by The Kraang. Donatello also develops an instant crush on April. While Kirby remains a prisoner of The Kraang, April becomes an ally of the Turtles, who try to help her locate her father. April is also trained by Splinter to be a kunoichi (female ninja).

The Turtles also learn that Splinter's long-time archenemy Oroku Saki (Shredder) has come to New York City and has ordered his Foot Clan to track down Splinter and his sons, and put an end to their clan. This family feud eventually earns the coincidence of two of Shredder's disciples, martial arts star Chris Bradford and Brazilian street thug Xever Montes, getting mutated into Dogpound (later Rahzar) and Fishface. Furthermore, Shredder recruits former TCRI inventor and mad scientist Baxter Stockman after his M.O.U.S.E.R.S cross paths with Dogpound threatening some Purple Dragons to hack into April's phone (the Turtles are successful in rescuing April's phone...in pieces), but consistently threatens the scientist due to Stockman's incompetence and his ulterior motives. The Turtles also encounter (and defeat) Dr. Victor Falco, also known as 'The Rat King', who, along with having an army of New York rats, tried to brainwash Splinter into joining the dark side.

Learning about the Kraang's presence through his (adopted) daughter Karai, Shredder enters an alliance with the aliens to destroy their mutual enemies in the Hamato Clan. At one point, Karai considers offering an alliance with the Turtles to annihilate the Kraang once she sees the seriousness of an alien threat and informs them that Shredder blatantly disregards their presence, in addition to offering them secret access to a shipment of weapons (especially a rocket launcher) at the dockyard to take down the UFO, but this comes after she peskily stalks and duels with the Turtles (mostly Leonardo, who realizes that he may have feelings for her), and tracking them down to a facility where a major battle ensues before treacherously and selfishly abandoning them to fight a mutant she slyly, heedlessly and intentionally created (furthermore, Karai was so untrustworthy, that she was agreeing with Raphael that she poses a menacing threat. Karai also blatantly disregarded Leo's offer of redemption, and using his feelings for her against him). Because of her recent betrayal (and her deceitful nature), the Turtles are initially skeptical, but later come to an agreement with her. However, when they sneakily ambush Shredder at the docks, it costs the Turtles (especially Leonardo) her friendship, when they learn that she considers Shredder as her 'father'. Afterwards, Shredder interrogates a captured Kraang droid, who speaks sufficient English to inform him that the Turtles are sheltering April, who is key to the alien's plot. Shredder sends Karai to capture and abduct April (possibly to lure Splinter and/or the Turtles to him) while the Turtles battle the Kraang in an underwater facility (when they learn that the Kraang want to infect the city's water supply). Eventually Turtles are successful with thwarting this Kraang plot. Meanwhile, April narrowly eludes Karai after a lengthy chase (and after the two girls duke it out in an alley). Upon returning to Splinter and the Turtles, April decides to take shelter at the Turtles' underground sewer lair for an extended time to train with Master Splinter while the Turtles face double the threat, as Shredder begins to ally himself with the Kraang.

The Turtles discover that the Kraang (led by Kraang Prime with Kraang Sub-prime as his second-in-command) are a corrupted extraterrestrial race of Utroms from outer space. They have invaded Earth many years ago and have come to Earth from Dimension X and built their headquarters with a company called the TCRI high rise. They are plotting to use the mutagen (along with a unique set of Kraang-like telekinetic psychic powers that April was born with) to annihilate mankind and to mutate/terraform the Earth (and all it's life forms) into a planet (another Dimension X) in order effectively trans-mutate the human race into fellow Kraang that will be suitable for their race. The Kraang needed April's unique mental energy, and they tried to use it to perfect the planetary mutation mechanism to the Turtle's reality (as it was mentioned earlier that the mutagen didn't work like the Kraang thought it would on Earth). After the Turtles rescue Kirby, the Kraang invade New York, but the Turtles and April emerge triumphant when they are able to send the Technodrome crashing into the sea (the Atlantic Ocean). Leonardo makes a heroic sacrifice, trying his best to hold off Kraang Prime and is seemingly killed, but also emerges alive and ultimately unharmed, having narrowly escaped at the last second. Meanwhile, Splinter battles Shredder and learns that Karai is technically his (Yoshi's) own long-lost birth daughter, Miwa who was kidnapped by Shredder and who believes that Splinter killed her mother. Unwilling to fight her, he retreats in sorrow. The first season ends with Turtles and April celebrating their victory over Kraang as Splinter hides this secret of Karai's true identity of Miwa from them, but promises to divulge this information for another day. Meanwhile, on the sea bed, the crashed Technodrome relights, indicating that the fight isn't over yet...