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Donatello
Donatello, the smartest member of the team.
Publisher Mirage Studios First appearance Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (October, 1984) Created by Kevin Eastman Peter Laird
Characteristics Full name Donatello Team affiliations Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Notable aliases Don Donnie Don-san Abilities Highly skilled in Ninjutsu. Olympic-level agility, speed and strength. Master of stealth. Expert in science and engineering. Mastery of bōjutsu and kobudō.

Donatello (sometimes shortened to Don or Donnie or Don-Son), a fictional character, is one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT). In popular culture his bandanna is purple, while in the original Mirage comic book series (the current Volume Four included) his bandanna is red like the rest of his brothers. Donatello is the brains of the Turtles. He wields the bō (six foot staff) and is a master at his discipline of Ninja Juhakkei .

Contents 1 Weapon 2 Comic books 3 1987 animated series 4 2003 animated series 5 Movies 6 Video games 7 See also 8 External links

Donatello's bō is the most historically accurate to the Ninja Juhakkei out of all four Turtles, as Bōjutsu is one of the eighteen disciplines of ninjutsu. However, being a blunt weapon, it is less efficient for killing than Leonardo's ninjaken, for example. However, given that Donatello is the most pacifistic of the four, the bō staff is a fitting, as well as historically accurate weapon for him.

In the original comic series by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, Donatello is generally not the "spotlight" character (except perhaps the Mirage Volume 4 comics), but Laird has on occasions announced that Donatello is his favorite Turtle and Donatello has a large fan following due to his complex personality. Next to Leonardo, he is probably second in command, although like Leonardo's role as leader this is unofficial. He is universally portrayed as something of a geek, is good with technology, and invents many of the gadgets used by the other team members, thereby saving them on countless occasions. Something of a pacifist (although he fights alongside his brothers), he is the most introspective and nonviolent of the Turtles, preferring to use his mind and intellect to find a solution to a problem. Although a pacifist, Donatello is a force to reckon with when provoked. It was he who knocked The Shredder off of the roof in proxy to his thermite grenade in the first issue, as well as the one who finally put an end to Baxter Stockman in the fourth volume.

In the Mirage Volume One comics, Donatello acted as something of a "right-hand turtle" to Leonardo, being sensible and compassionate and possessing good control over his emotions, unlike their brothers Raphael and Michelangelo. This was referenced in the 2007 animated TMNT film, in which Leonardo remarks to April that he was surprised Donny was not able to keep the group under control during his absence. Hence, it can be said that Donatello is somewhat of second in command.

In the Image Comics incarnation of the TMNT, he became a cyborg after his body was partially destroyed from being shot and dropped out of a helicopter (he maintained a positive attitude nonetheless, although he was constantly at risk of losing his mind to the cyborg). The Image Comics were later treated as non-canon by the Mirage Publications.

In the current comics after a trip to South America, Don was shrunk to the size of an action figure by a group of Utroms living there and the effect could not be reversed, possibly due to his mutation. To make himself a bit more mobile, Don converted a robot (similar to the Fugitoid that the Turtles got while on a yet unseen return trip to Dihoonib) to look like a turtle and so he could control it from the inside. Don was also disconcerted by both his and Raphael's current transformation (Raphael having become larger and more dinosaur-like). They said it was like being in a Godzilla or Gamera movie.

The original animated television series depicts Donatello as a genius capable of inventing revolutionary technology (despite an obvious lack of funding), usually to combat enemies, and he is apparently solely responsible for the design and construction of the Turtles' assorted vehicles as well. He has little appreciation for humans and has a dim view of interpersonal relationships. In the original North American version of the show, Donatello's voice actor is Barry Gordon, who also voices Bebop. Greg Berg was the 1989 alternate voice actor for Donatello as well as Bebop.

In the new Mirage Studios and 4Kids Entertainment 2003 animated TV series, Donatello's personality is more akin to his previous comic book incarnation, although he is less of a pacifist. Like usual, he is the genius of the team and builds all the vehicles and gadgetry. He is closest to April O'Neil, who is a scientist like himself; at times, it is hinted that he has romantic feelings towards her, but is afraid to act on them. He is somewhat shy and sensitive, yet he is probably the most reliable turtle after Leonardo. During the Battle Nexus Tournament, he was the first turtle to be eliminated and admitted that he was an engineer, not a fighter, but he also jumped to Leo's aid after he had been stricken by enemies. His lack of extreme skill can be explained by the fact that he seems more interested in his inventions and technology than his ninjutsu training.

Donatello is also very close with Leatherhead, another keen scientist. Testament to Donatello's complex personality is the fact that he is shown to have generally good relationships with all of his brothers. In the episode "Same As It Never Was," in an alternate, nightmarish, dystopian future, the Shredder rules the world, and the remaining three turtles split up after Donatello "vanished." It is Donatello who reunites the future versions of the Turtles for one last stand against the Shredder (though all of them are killed except for Don). At times, Donatello is also the center of trouble; he has been captured on a number of occasions, and recently, mutated into a monstrous version of himself, due to substances left over from Agent Bishop's mock alien invasion. It was up to the other three Turtles, along with Leatherhead, to break into Area 51 to get a cure from Bishop in exchange for the Heart of Tengu. Donatello is voiced by Sam Regal in USA and by Jacek Kopczyński in Poland.

In the fifth season, Donatello was the first to access his "chi" and alter into his more powerful form.

In the first three live action films, Donatello, like Leonardo, is arguably less mature than he was in the original comics and animated series, as he is shown joking around more. The first film never officially identifies Donatello as the group's resident whiz kid, though he is occasionally shown tinkering with various devices. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, however, clearly established Donatello as the most scientifically-minded turtle as well as the most introspective. The first film plays up the relationship between him and Casey Jones, in all other versions of the TMNT, Raphael, not Donatello, is closest to Casey. This is apparently because the scene in which Donatello and Casey bond over the fixing of an old pickup truck was based on a similar scene involving Casey and Raphael in the Mirage comics. Corey Feldman famously provides Donatello's voice in the first and third live-action films, while Adam Carl filled in for the second movie during Feldman's stint in rehabilitation. In the third film, Donatello is the only Turtle who is not tempted to stay in the Feudal Japan of the past, saying that he can't live without technology. The films also portray Donatello as being close with Michelangelo, bantering with him during fight sequences, going off to the side when Leo and Raph are arguing and in general hanging out in their spare time.

In the 2007 movie, Donatello runs an IT tech support line to earn money for the family. He has a more confrontational relationship with Raphael, angry that the latter was not pulling his weight to support them, as a family and as a team member, when in actuality Raphael was moonlighting as the Nightwatcher. This disagreement is further explained in the prequel comics by the fact that Donatello does not trust Nightwatcher, because no one knows what side he is really on and because he uses fear to accomplish his ends. Donatello states that Raphael uses many of the same tactics, and hints that perhaps he knows what his brother really does at night. Donatello also tries to guide Michelangelo away from the idea that vigilantes are heroes. Such action develops Donatello as an older brother, forced to be the responsible one in Leonardo's absence and teach his brothers what Leo would in his place. Don is clearly yet still unofficially established as second in command here, much more than in the other three movies. Don is voiced by Mitchell Whitfield and Mateusz Damięcki (Polish dub).

In the video games based on the 1987 animated series, Donatello has the longest range, although he cannot inflict as much damage as Leonardo, who has the second-longest range; one notable exception is the first NES game, where Donatello both did the most damage and had the longest range, though his attacks were slow. This has been carried over into the games inspired by the 2003 animated series.

• Leonardo (TMNT)
• Raphael (TMNT)
• Michelangelo (TMNT)

• Donatello profile on official TMNT web site

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The TMNT Franchise
Comics: Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Tales of the TMNT | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures | Daily comic strip TV series: 1987 cartoon (episode list) | The Next Mutation | 2003 cartoon (episode list) Films: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III | TMNT Games: Role-playing games | Video games Other related articles: Food tie-ins | Action figures
The TMNT Universe
Characters: Leonardo | Michelangelo | Donatello | Raphael | Splinter | April O'Neil | The Shredder | Casey Jones | List of characters Races and organisations: Foot Clan | Utrom | List of races and organisations Objects and places: Battle Nexus | Dimension X | Magical objects | Planets | Robots | Technodrome