1
Credit: Paramount PicturesThe Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise appears to be enjoying a second heyday. Of course, nothing will ever live up to “Turtle-Mania,” the period between the late ’80s and early ’90s that saw the franchise explode onto the pop culture scene and dominate every television screen and toy store around the entire planet. But it’s close enough.
Whether or not you’re a fan of the last movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023), you’ll most likely agree that the 3D-animated reboot didn’t do the franchise any harm. Not only did it put it back on the map where the box office is concerned, but it also achieved what past TMNT iterations did: bringing in a whole new generation of fans.
Related: ‘Mutant Mayhem’ Actor Open to Returning in ‘The Last Ronin’ Movie
One of the most impressive things about TMNT is its ability to endure. Starting way back in 1984 in the form of the gritty Mirage Comics graphic novels, the franchise has since gone through numerous comic book publishers, video game titles, animated shows (and a live-action show), animated movies, live-action movies, and waves upon waves of toy lines.
Mutant Mayhem might be the first entry in a wider shared universe, which is set to continue in 2026 with a theatrical sequel (there’s already a TV show), but the franchise is doing just as well across other forms of media, namely in the comic and video game arenas. Where the former is concerned, IDW continues to churn out TMNT comics like there’s no tomorrow.
Related: Will One of These Actresses Play April O’Neil In the Live-Action ‘Ninja Turtles’ Reboot?!
As for games, in 2022, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection” transported fans back to the era of arcade-style beat-’em-ups and the golden age of the franchise itself. But an upcoming TMNT game from will take fans deep into the future, far from familiar characters and settings.
IDW’s ongoing comic book series, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin”, a New York Times bestseller, has become incredibly popular with fans. The demand for more content in this alternate TMNT timeline has been so high that there are now two follow-up series: “The Lost Years” and the ongoing “Re-Evolution,” which is set to end this April.
Related: Brand-New R-Rated ‘Ninja Turtles’ Teaser Leaves Fans Shocked
The comic book series focuses on the lone surviving Ninja Turtle, Michelangelo, who, in a bleak and dystopian future, embarks on a one-way mission to avenge his three fallen brothers, Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael, and his father, Master Splinter.
“The Last Ronin” is unrelated to IDW’s primary TMNT timeline, which has been running since 2011. Instead, it exists in an entirely independent continuity, one that has launched a “sub-franchise,” spawning tee-shirts, action figures, and soon, a brand-new “Triple-A” video game that’s said to be heavily inspired by the popular Gods of War series, as well as a big-screen adaptation that’s expected to be R-rated and live action.
Related: ‘TMNT’ Sequel Geared Towards Adults Shares First Look
The first teaser for “The Last Ronin” game premiered in 2023, and though it doesn’t show any gameplay footage or cutscenes (it’s still in the early stages of development), it does tease the aforementioned deaths of the three Ninja Turtles and Master Splinter, which makes sense considering it’s based directly on the first five issues of “The Last Ronin.”
Whether or not the game will lean into the follow-up series, “The Lost Years,” or even “Re-Evolution.” remains to be seen. It’s unlikely, though, given the fact that “The Lost Years” would justify a whole new follow-up game, which would make way for the arrival of the brand-new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Odyn, Moja, Yi, and Uno.
Related: What Is the New Female ‘Ninja Turtles’ Sequel About?
“The Last Ronin” game will focus entirely on Michelangelo, however, it has been confirmed that we can also expect to see Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael appear in the form of flashbacks and hallucinations, just like they do in the comics.
We don’t know whether we’ll be able to play any of them (although it would be pretty cool), but the trailer suggests that we’ll at least see these characters killed off in the game.
“TMNT: The Last Ronin” Video Game Trailer
Check out the trailer below, courtesy of PlayStation YouTube:
Related: R-Rated TMNT Reboot Confirmed as Legacy Sequel to Original 1990 Film
If you’ve not read “The Last Ronin” comics yet, some of the imagery in the teaser trailer might not mean all that much to you. But, if you’re happy for spoilers, read on, as we’re about to explain the deaths of six major characters in the widely popular comic book series.
“TMNT: The Last Ronin” Character Deaths
Leonardo (and Casey Jones)
In “The Last Ronin” trailer, we see burning debris before one of the four candles, each representing a Ninja Turtle, goes out. Leonardo, the leader of the Ninja Turtles, meets his maker in the sewers with the hockey stick-wielding vigilante Casey Jones, where they’re caught in an explosion caused by the mad scientist Baxter Stockman.
Raphael
A second candle is extinguished by water. Amid a war between Splinter/the Turtles and Shredder/the Foot, the hot-headed Raphael hunts down Shredder’s daughter Karai on the docks; however, during their fight, they both wind up on the wrong side of the river. Raphael dies by Karai’s blade, while she becomes comatose for several decades.
Donatello (and Master Splinter)
Donatello’s death in “The Last Ronin” might be one of the most shocking. In an attempt to put an end to the war, Donatello and Splinter visit Shredder’s grandson Oroku Hiroto to negotiate a truce, only to be ambushed by the deceitful warlord and killed by a shower of arrows, which can be seen putting out one of the candles in the trailer.
Though all of these characters are all killed off in “The Last Ronin”, they still appear many times throughout both the first series and in “The Lost Years” in the form of flashbacks and Michelangelo’s hallucinations (the deaths themselves are also told through flashbacks).
Michelangelo
Michelangelo is killed off at the end of the first series after a bloody and brutal battle with Oroku Hiroto. The last Ninja Turtle sustains numerous fatal injuries but doesn’t go out without putting an end to the cruel dictator first.
He dies in the arms of April O’Neil’s daughter, Casey Marie. However, his death gives rise to four new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Odyn, Moja, Yi, and Uno.
These four new characters appear throughout “The Lost Years” and take center stage in the ongoing series, “Re-Evolution”.
There’s no release date for the “The Last Ronin” game or The Last Ronin movie.
Have you read “TMNT: The Last Ronin”? Are you excited for the game and the movie? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!