Weird Memories

ROTTMNT Character Fight Style Analysis - Part 1: Leonardo

Eeeeyyyy it's finally here. This is my analysis of each character's fight style and role post that I teased about a week ago. This turned out to be a hell of a thing, so this will be split into many posts focusing on each character since I have quite a bit to say (and I think Tumblr might break if I put it all into one post). I plan to release one a day, but we'll see how it works out with school.

[Part 2: Raph] [Part 3: Mikey] [Part 4: Donnie] [Part 5: April]

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If there's one thing Rise is known for, it is the show's stellar action animation - it's the reason most people started the show to begin with. The visuals are so strong in these scenes, in fact, that Rise could have easily gotten away with having pointless fights each episode (if the budget allowed that) and still be regarded as a fairly decent show. However, Rise doesn't do that, instead chooses to give its action scenes depth by putting thought into the personality of each character and implementing that into how each of them fights, showing the growth of the protagonists over the course of the show.

After rewatching the show multiple times (seriously, so many times) I began to notice patterns in many of the show's big fights, particularly in how the turtles and April fight and how they cooperate with each other as a team.

I thought it might be fun to categorize and examine how Leo, Raph, Mikey, Donnie, and April fight by breaking it down into their unique fighting styles, their roles and strengths in battle, how they apply those roles, and how all of these demonstrate different parts of their character.

BTW: There's a reason for the order in which I examine each character - it will all make sense by the last post. There's also a bit of a TL;DR at the end, but I encourage you read the full thing (or at least skim it)

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Let's start with Leo.

Leonardo: The Strategist/Initiator

Leo was one of the easiest characters to analyze since a major focus of his character arc is the development of his fighting skills and his ability to cooperate with his team and act as a leader.

Fight Style:

Balanced/Well-rounded Fighter

Leo is the most balanced fighter on the team. He is a capable offensive and defensive fighter and has enough physical strength and acrobatics to handle many types of fighting styles. We see him fight everything from paper ninjas to the large Foot Brute and Draxum's hired goons (the dog guys) without seeming to be weak against one type of enemy. He may not necessarily be stronger than them but he is very versatile. However, this means that Leo doesn’t have a specific ability that makes him stand out in a fight (mystic and ninpo powers aside) the way his brothers do, and won’t have any inherent advantages that he can utilize when fighting a particular enemy.

Strengths and Roles in a Fight:

The Strategist:

Leo’s role as the team’s strategist is pretty obvious. He may not be given the title of “Leader” until the end of season 2, but we see throughout the show that he is a very quick thinker and is skilled at coming up with clever and effective plans. Of course, each member of the Mad Dogs supplies ideas and plans, but Leo is especially good at developing and implementing them. The most obvious example of this is his fight in the Battle Nexus in 'Many Unhappy Returns, but there are other times when he is the one to put all the pieces together (think of the big attack against Draxum in the Shredder armor in 'End Game').'

The Initiator:

Leo acts as the initiator in battle as he is either one of the first into battle or is the one to start a coordinated attack. This doesn't mean he necessarily has to attack first, but that he is usually the one to put the plan into action. This role relies the most on his mystic powers as his portal and teleportation powers give him the maneuverability needed to accommodate any plan. His abilities allow him to enter and disorient the enemy, or he can portal allies into the fight and create opportunities for a follow-up attack. This plays into his strengths as the Strategist as being the initiator can help him begin a strategic attack by maneuvering people or objects into their needed positions.

Utility:

Leo’s skills truly shine in a fight against a few number of enemies as he can better focus his strategies on a specific enemy and direct the battle in his favor. With less pieces in play, he can properly utilize his mystic powers and act as the initiator instead of bouncing around a battle with no real objective in mind. It becomes easier to coordinate attacks with his brothers and allies since they don't have to spend time fighting different enemies.

However, in a fight with multiple enemies, Leo’s skills can be easily overlooked. Sure, he can direct the fight as the Strategist, but there’s only so much he can do in the middle of the chaos. His role as the initiator isn’t all that effective in a fight with many enemies as well as he and his brothers tend to just rush into battle in those situations. However, Leo’s balanced fighting style means he could theoretically go up against every type of enemy and won’t be at a noticeable disadvantage, which is very useful in a chaotic battle.

How it Plays into His Character:

Admittedly, the show is probably the most direct in using fights to show some of Leo's character traits, since so much of his arc is centered on his fighting and use of mystic powers. However, Rise does use this in enough interesting ways to make it worth mentioning.

While his role as the Strategist plays into Leo’s strengths as a character, it also highlights Leo’s problems with team communication. When Leo plans a strategy, he often fails to inform his allies of his plans, which can result in losing the battle or frustrating those around him. The show demonstrates this by having him make strategies in a fight but leaves his allies in the dark and confusing them. Leo does this, in part, to show off, but also because the plan simply makes sense in his head, so it would be easier for him to just do it instead of having to take the time to tell everybody his plan.

The initiator is a good role for Leo’s powers and fighting style, but also feeds into his cockiness and overconfidence in a fight. Leo has a tendency to play the hero and either overestimate his abilities or underestimate his opponent. He may be the best fit for going first in a fight but Rise uses some fights to show how this can conflict with some of his character flaws. When he goes into battle first overconfident and cocky, it only conflicts with the team, but with his own role as the Strategist. He could, theoretically, bring his teammates into the fight after him, but if he thinks he has an easy win in front of him, all strategy goes out the window.  

His status as a balanced fighter and lack of specialization in battle is a likely source of some of Leo’s insecurities about his place in the group. We see in 'Portal Jacked!' how Leo doesn't feel like he has a proper role on the team - that he's just the face man - which is reinforced by the way he fights in comparison to his team. Leo is well suited to fight a wide range of enemies, but when his brothers have easily identifiable skills that can give them a distinct advantage, it becomes difficult to recognize the advantages he brings to the team as a well-rounded fighter.

Working as a Team:

As mentioned earlier, Leo's strengths as a fighter make him the one best suited for the first attack in a coordinated team strike as it highlights his skills as the Initiator and the Strategist. It shows how well he can fit those roles when he plays to his strengths and overcomes the character flaws that stand in his way. While the others do have skills that may allow them to start the first attack, Leo's abilities and strengths as a fighter give him (and his team) a much stronger advantage in this position.

Leo also does well when he goes second to last in a team attack, as he can finalize a strategy and prepare for a final blow by putting all the pieces into position. However, this is more situational as there are other characters just as well suited for that second-to-last position and can fill that role when Leo needs to be the one to start a team attack.

Leo’s fighting style, however, does make him a poor fit for a follow-up attack or the final attack in a fight. His balanced fighting style means he isn’t suited for a strong final attack. While he is technically fine acting as a follow-up attacker, it doesn’t really play into his strengths and isn’t that effective when fighting with others who are more suited to that role. His balanced fighting style also prevents him from effectively dealing that final blow to an enemy since he doesn't have a specialized strength in this regard. Again, he can do it, he just isn't well suited for it.

The way Rise develops and explores Leo's fight style demonstrates one of my favorite things the show does with his character (in fact, all of its characters). At first glance, he may seem pretty one-note and predictable, but as we go through the show, we see how both his character is actually more complex than we were first led to believe. The fights Leo participates in reflect that, as not only do his skills develop over the course of the show, but we begin to see how it all ties into his personality and growth as a character - making his fights more meaningful than what they may seem.

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[Little bit of a TL;DR: Leo is the team's strategist and initiator in fights, supported by his balanced fight style and mystic powers. These roles play into his greatest strengths but they also expose some of his character flaws and insecurities. In team fights Leo is most effective as the first or second to last attacker but isn't well suited for a follow-up or final attack]

Thanks for bearing with me on this stupid long post. They're all going to be like this btw. Next up will be Raph. I plan to get that done and posted tomorrow.

Study routine : night owls version

Since a lovely anon asked for the nighttime version of this routine, here it is!

Now we all have different bedtimes and I have no idea what is actually an ideal time to go to bed, so this routine is based on my usual timings, obviously if they don’t match up with yours feel free to modify!

Our goal is to get in quality time, just made sure you get something done!

Rules :

Follow the routine given below for 30 days (no issues if you miss, I’m gonna miss somedays too)

Post a pic of your work space (no aesthetic required, just a little feel good thing for you so that you actually want to get more ish done)

Mention your goal for the study session

Have fun and be productive :)

The routine :

Begin at : 9:30pm

Study session #1 : 9:30pm to 10:15pm

Mini break : 10:15pm to 10:25pm

Study session #2 : 10:25pm to 11:00pm

Break : 11:00pm to 11:05pm

Final study session : 11:05pm to 11:30pm

Bedtime :11:30pm to 7:30am?

I get that this might get very late for some, so here’s another plan for evening, but this may clash with your work schedule so pick whatever you want!

Study session 1 : 7:00pm to 7:40pm

Major Break : 7:40 to 7:50pm

Study session 2 : 7:50pm to 8:30pm

Break : 8:30pm to 8:35pm

Study session 3 : 8:35pm to 9:00pm

Both routines cover 95 minutes, feel free to add more if you really get into it!

And finally, tag me in your #30donr posts!

Thanks, hope you enjoy this one!

Etudaire 💞

Guess I have enough stuff for another sketchdump? ahah!

I have all the four guys “pinuppish version” (this is as close as I might be to a drawing series whitout getting bored) all in one place and this makes me happy. Also yay new stuff! And I have an headcanon on George’s favourite T shirt. Don’t agree? Fight me!

Now a sidenote I feel really guilty drawing these - but I am in time with my work and I really need to sketch in colors  to throw the stress out. And this universe happens to be awesome and very greenish. And with very plenty of shit out of my comfort zone. Perfect playground to sharpen my pencils.

the lea michele situation is actually a prime example of why we should be wary of performative activism right now. if you are supporting the cause by protesting, donating, posting your support, etc. that’s great! but this problem goes so much deeper than just police brutality.

every single non-black person who has posted #blacklivesmatter this week needs to take a step back and analyze whether or not their actions (not just their words) have shown that they truly believe that statement. it’s a clear and obvious choice to speak out against the brutal murder of an innocent man. however, if you are not making the obvious choice every day to speak up for us when your friends/relatives make racist jokes, if you are not listening to and respecting the black people you know in real life, if you have not sat down to analyze the ways you actively benefit from this system, if you have not worked to start unlearning the biases you were raised with, or if you thought “black lives matter” was a controversial statement until this week, do not pretend to care just because everyone is talking about it right now.

when these protests are over, there will still be many battles to fight. this is not a game, and this is not something you post about just for likes and clicks. if you are resting easy right now thinking that you’re “one of the good ones” for showing public outrage over a situation that should anger any reasonable person, you need to do more. racism is not something you can pick and choose when to be against. we don’t get to pick and choose when we experience racism. so if you’re going to get involved with this situation right here, right now, then you need to be ready to hold yourself and others accountable for anti-blackness in all other areas of your life.

I made a quiz, its 36 questions, and y’all, I play-tested this, I got feedback, I hyper-analyzed, its good. I wasn’t like, I was gonna just let hogwarts houses die but apparently y’all be like,,, not knowing what a slytherin or hufflepuff is no shade and if all these quizzes are gonna ask you this question anyways: this is it. Idiot tested. Idiot approved

take it here! or copy paste if you need to https://uquiz.com/oz0xOu

free lil cuh

( insp. )

At the Watchtower

Batman: [standing at the front of the room] thank you for coming to this emergency meeting of the Justice League.

Batman: [pulling up a presentation on screen] let us proceed without further delay.

Batman: [pulls up the first slide] This is a picture of Tim. He is asocial. That means he avoids social interaction. Other examples of asocial people is me.

Batman: [changes slides] This is the Joker. He is an antisocial person. That means he has a "long-term pattern of disregard for, or violation of, the rights of others", struggles with emapthy and is prone to bouts of aggression. Other examples of this would be most of the villains we fight, though that is mere speculation since antisocial personality disorder is a psychological condition and most of our opponents have not been diagnosed.

Batman: [exits the presentation] in conclusion: asocial and antisocial are not pseudonyms and thus should not be used interchangeably. I expect you all to take this under advisement in the future when making snide comments about your teammates.

Batman: That concludes this portion of the meeting. I now turn the stage over to Nightwing.

Nightwing: [Takes the stage, wearing his police uniform and a domino] Thank you Batman!

Nightwing: I call this segment "Jaywalking- it's illegal even when you're wearing a cape!"

Nightwing: [pulls up a powerpoint with 94 slides] Let's begin!

A special boy || collab with @doodlingraka

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