Credit: Paramount PicturesA brand-new Ninja Turtles series has been announced.
With everything that’s currently happening in the world of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lately, anyone would think we’re on the verge of a follow-up to “Turtle-Mania,” the period between the late ’80s and early ’90s which saw the franchise become a global phenomenon.
The highly anticipated CG-animated reboot Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023) will be hitting theaters on August 2, waves of new merchandise lines are flooding toy shelves, and there’s even an ambitious “AAA” video game in development based on the widely popular ongoing comic book series “TMNT: The Last Ronin” (2020).
What’s “The Last Ronin” about?
“The Last Ronin” is a gritty Ninja Turtles series geared mainly towards adults. It follows lone Ninja Turtle Michelangelo in a futuristic and dystopian version of New York City, where he embarks on a one-way mission to take down The Shredder’s grandson, Oroku Hiroto, the man responsible for the deaths of his three brothers, Leonardo, Raphael, and Donatello, and his father, Splinter.
The comic book series was an enormous success when it was released in 2020, so much so that it became a New York Times best-seller, which led to IDW Publishing, retailers, and fans demanding more. And more came in the form of a prequel/sequel hybrid titled “TMNT: The Last Ronin — The Lost Years” (2023).
Related: R-Rated ‘TMNT’ Installment With Female Ninja Turtles Gets New Trailer
What’s “The Lost Years” about?
As a sequel, “The Lost Years” details the years between the fall of Michelangelo’s family and the events depicted in “The Last Ronin.“. As a prequel, it introduces four brand-new Ninja Turtles, Odyn, Yin, Moja, and Uno, who are being raised and trained to fight by April O’Neil and her daughter Casey Marie in the original Ninja Turtles’ sewer lair.
These new characters are set to replace Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, and Donatello, and their first whole adventure comes in the form of the one-shot comic book “The Lost Day,” which takes place after “The Lost Years” story ends.
Related: ‘TMNT’ Prequel Follows ‘Ghostbusters’ Reboot, Replaces Beloved Heroes With Female Turtles
Who are the new Ninja Turtles?
Odyn, Yin, Moja, and Uno are first introduced at the end of “The Last Ronin” Issue #5, where we see Casey Marie hand-rearing four baby turtles in the sewer lair in the aftermath of Michelangelo’s death. Throughout “The Lost Years,” the four new characters have enjoyed fleeting panels in each issue, which jumps forward three years every time.
In the one-shot event “The Lost Day,” Odyn, Yin, Moja, and Uno are finally depicted as teenagers. Unlike the main Ninja Turtles, they are distinguishable by their shapes and sizes; two are snapping turtles. There are also two females among them: Moja and Yi.
Related: Will the Live-Action ‘Ninja Turtles’ Reboot Be All-Female?!
Will there be another “Last Ronin” series?
It has now been revealed that a brand-new Ninja Turtles series set in “The Last Ronin” universe is being released later this year, titled “The Last Ronin II — Re-Evolution” (2023).
Yesterday, at San Diego Comic-Con, as per IGN, IDW Publishing announced the upcoming comic book series, which will reunite the creative team behind “The Last Ronin,” which includes co-writers Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz, artists Ben Bishop, Esau Escorza, and Isaac Escorza, colorist Edgar Delgado, and letterer Shawn Lee.
“The real heart and soul for me with dusting off and bringing “[The] Last Ronin” to life three years ago was my belief ‘Every beginning must have an end.'” Eastman told IGN. “With all the respect in the world for my co-creator Peter Laird, I wanted to bring full circle to what we started in 1984 and set out to do in 1987. With “[The] Last Ronin”, with my friend Tom Waltz and an incredible gathering of brilliant artisans, we accomplished that 33 years later. A very fitting end indeed.”
“The incredible surprise on coming out of the end of that journey, was the opportunity to continue to tell stories beyond that ending,” he continued. “All new characters, in a whole new universe to really sink our teeth into and the best part — with all the original crew back to make sure we get it right. I can’t wait for you to see what we have in store for them.”
Waltz also spoke at great length about “The Last Ronin.”
“When Kevin Eastman and I got together to adapt and update the future TMNT outline that he and Peter Laird had written together in 1987, our hope was always that we’d be creating an evergreen tale that long-time TMNT fans would enjoy for years to come,” he said. “Little did we know — and much to our absolute pleasure — “The Last Ronin” would become a publishing sensation, a New York Times bestseller, far surpassing our initial hopes and expectations. And not only was it successful, it offered Kevin and I the opportunity to revisit what we’ve lovingly come to call the “Roninverse” in the form of prequels and sequels — first with “Lost Years”/”Lost Day”, and now with “The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution”. I couldn’t be more excited and humbled to help bring the next generation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the world… awesome new stories and characters that stand firmly and respectfully atop the shoulders of the beloved legacy of their original namesakes. We’re gonna have our pizza and eat it too!”
Related: Dark and Gritty ‘Last Ronin’ Trailer Proves ‘Ninja Turtles’ Is the Next ‘John Wick’
What’s “Re-Evolution” about?
There’s currently no synopsis for the new Ninja Turtles series, “Re-Evolution”; however, we know it will follow the four new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Odyn, Yin, Moja, and Uno, along with April O’Neil and Casey Marie, as they work together to protect New York City from a new threat.
It is not yet known whether “Re-Evolution” will also feature sequences set in the past that revolve around the original Ninja Turtles, like “The Last Ronin” and “The Lost Years.”
Related: New ‘Mutant Mayhem’ Teaser Could Anger ‘Last Ronin’ Fans
“The Last Ronin” has been a massive hit with TMNT fans. There’s even a fan-made film on YouTube titled “TMNT: The Last Ronin Animation“, which imagines what a live-action movie based on the comic book series could look like. And now, there’s a “Last Ronin” video game in development, which is said to be inspired by the God of War series.
As per IDW, here’s the synopsis for “The Last Ronin — Lost Years”:
RETURN TO THE RONIN-VERSE! In the smash-hit miniseries TMNT: The Last Ronin, readers were taken on a pulse-pounding trek through time — past, present, future — to witness the final gut-wrenching days of the Heroes in a Half Shell. For Michelangelo in particular, the march to his heart-breaking last battle was long and dangerous, taking him from New York City, to Japan, across Asia and Europe, and then back home again to administer final justice against those guilty of killing his family.
But what happened during those fateful years when he had only the need for vengeance and Master Splinter’s journal to guide him? What battles did he fight? What hard lessons did he learn? The time has come to find out as original miniseries writers Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz join artist Ben Bishop (TMNT: The Last Ronin) to finally reveal what adventures the Last Ronin experienced during his vengeful journey. While in the present, a new master, Casey Marie Jones, prepares her young terrapin students to be the next generation of… Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
Related: First, Female Ninja Turtles, Now ‘TMNT’ Eyed For R-Rated Horror Reboot
“The Lost Years” issues 1 — 4, and the one-shot, “The Lost Day,” are on sale now. “The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution” #1 will be released on December 13, 2023.
Mutant Mayhem releases in theaters on August 2. Check out the trailer below:
Related: Which ‘Ninja Turtles’ Characters Have Been Gender-Swapped In the Reboot?
As per Wikipedia, here’s the official synopsis for Mutant Mayhem:
After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtles set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O’Neil helps them take on a notorious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.
Related: Is the New ‘Ninja Turtles’ Film Canon With Any of the Previous Installments?
Mutant Mayhem stars Nicolas Cantu (Leonardo), Micah Abbey (Donatello), Shamon Brown Jr. (Michelangelo), Brady Noon (Raphael), Jackie Chan (Splinter), Ayo Edebiri (April O’Neil), Seth Rogen (Bebop), John Cena (Rocksteady), Hannibal Buress (Genghis Frog), Rose Byrne (Leatherhead), Ice Cube (Superfly), Post Malone (Ray Fillet), Paul Rudd (Mondo Gecko), Maya Rudolph (Cynthia Utrom), Natasia Demetriou (Wingnut), and Giancarlo Esposito (Baxter Stockman).
Are you all caught up with “The Last Ronin” series? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!