Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The last Ronin

Plot Summary and Credits

Years have passed, and the Foot Clan have defeated the Turtles and their allies. Raphael drowned in the river after a fight with Karai, Leonardo and Casey Jones were killed by an explosion in their former base, and Splinter and Donatello were ambushed in Japan at a peace meeting. Alone and hardened from his journey across the world, Michelangelo returns to New York to avenge his fallen family by killing Oroku Hiroto, the leader of the Foot and heir of the Shredder. After losing battle with the soldiers of the Foot Clan, Mikey is found by his old and presumably dead friend April O’Neil and her daughter Casey, joining their resistance movement to finish his mission. Mikey finally defeats Hiroto, but is mortally wounded, finally able to be reunited with his family, leaving Casey to carry on his legacy in the form of four new baby turtles.

Kevin Eastman (writer, artist), Peter Laird, Tom Waltz (writers), Esau Escorza, Isaac Escorza, Ben Bishop, (artists), Luis Antonio Delgado (colourist), Shawn Lee (letterer)

Collects Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #1-5

My Copy

When I first heard of this comic, I just knew that I had to read it, but it took me a while to get a hold of. I first saw it covering a shelf in my local comic shop not long after its release, but I had other things on my list at the time. When I finally decided to go in and buy it, there wasn’t a copy to be seen, as I learned from a member of the staff that it was sold out and wouldn’t see a restock for a while. At long last, I was able to grab one of the few copies they had in stock.

Before Reading

This was my first foray into the world of the Turtles’s comic universe (because what better place to start than after they’re all dead?), so I wasn’t too sure what to expect in terms of world building or background characters. I also knew that the titular, mysterious Last Ronin was actually Michelangelo, so I was a little worried that knowing who he was would lessen the impact of the story.

After Reading

The opening chapter is probably my favourite part of the whole story. We follow Mikey as he sneaks into New York, first through the polluted river, then over the walls and past the cameras, until he comes into contact with the city guards. He’s accompanied by the ghosts of his brothers who, both encourage and demean him in typical sibling fashion. At this point, we don’t know who’s who, since Mikey has a new outfit and his brothers’ aren’t fully seen outside of a brief silhouette. This chapter could probably be a story in of itself, albeit an incredibly depressing one, where Mikey seeks revenge and fails, dying on his own terms and joining his family once again. It’s fitting that a member of his family who he believed was dead is the one to pull him back into life, while giving him back a part of it.

A close second to this opening segment is each of the flashback sequences where we see the deaths of Mikey’s family, each of which hit me like a bullet. I was first introduced to the turtles by the 2012 show, and came to see those versions of the characters as my own definitive iteration, their cartoonish and lovable nature a far cry from the gritty violence of The Last Ronin. As such, it felt like I was watching the deaths of these same incarnations of the characters that I grew up with. Donatello and Splinter’s final stand got me the most, since they had been my favourite characters in the show, and the dishonourable nature of their deaths at the hands of Hiroto and the Foot Clan especially hard to watch.

Speaking of Hiroto, the new ruler of New York makes a great antagonist. Everything about him is superbly despicable, from his trap for Splinter and Don (already reason enough to hate him), to his brutal treatment of the soldiers and civilians under his rule, to the staggering level of arrogance that leads him to call himself a god. All of this makes his death incredibly satisfying, especially since it’s essentially self-inflicted in a final attempt to beat Michelangelo.

At the opposite end of the scale, Mikey’s relationship with Casey gives him something to pull him out of the chronic, vengeful misery he’s endured for decades. It’s nice to see him (and the ghosts of his brothers) come full circle with his ninja training, using his father’s journal as a guide to teach his new student how to survive on and off the battlefield. Casey herself is a welcome addition to the Turtles’ universe, and for the most part steers clear of the annoying teenage sidekick trope. Instead, we see her go from a scrappy rebel to a more thoughtful and disciplined young warrior under Mike’s tutelage, and I remember being quite excited to see her with a new quartet of little turtles knowing that she means to honour his legacy.

While Michelangelo’s story is unquestionably impactful, I can’t help but wonder whether his identity should have been kept secret. He carries all of his brothers’ weapons and masks and utilises several of their skills and tactics, so it’s easy to see him as a representation of all of them. Yes, it’s incredibly emotional to see the unfortunate demise of each member of the turtle family, but if we had one for Mikey as well we could construe a way for each of them so have survived, like Donnie being healed by his allies in Japan or Raph waking up onshore badly wounded. If we didn’t know who the Last Ronin really was, then there would be hope that each one of the turtles could still be alive under this new identity, and keeping his fallen brothers as discoloured shadows like in the opening would make them seem more distant and lost. This is really more of a “what if” rather than a criticism, since the story we got is great as it is, and having the cheery, quirky Michelangelo as a brooding, vengeful warrior makes it all the more tragic.

Closing Thoughts

The Last Ronin is perhaps one of the best comic books I’ve ever read. It takes a franchise known for its lightheartedness and brings it to a tragic and meaningful conclusion, while leaving us with a bit of hope for the next generation.

I’ll be sticking with the turtles next week in their typical optimistic form, with a crossover that sees them team up with a slightly more prominent crime fighter.