First Look At Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Revealed

Nickelodeon’s new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series is changing some things up for the longtime franchise, and now we have our first look at the new team.

The new series is titled Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and features an all-new visual style. Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello, and Michelangelo are all returning, but each one is reimagined for the new series as they make their way back to the world of 2D animation.

As you can see in the image, the new series will embrace the mystical as well, with the team discovering new powers and a mystical world beneath the streets of New York City. Along with their new abilities, the Turtles themselves have received some changes, both in personality and in stature.

Raphael (voiced by Omar Miller) features a jagged-shell and is based on a snapping turtle. He is full of bravado and enthusiasm and wields twin tonfas (instead of sais). The biggest differences though are his larger stature and his status as leader of the team. That’s typically been Leonardo in the past, but Rise is switching things up a bit.

Speaking of Leonardo (voiced by Ben Schwartz), this version is described as possessing “irreverent charm and a rebel heart”, and has named himself the “coolest”. His visual design is based on a red-eared slider, and he uses an odachi sword as his main weapon. He seems to have more in common with past takes on Michelangelo, but the fun-loving fan favorite has also received some changes.

Michelangelo (voiced by Brandon Mychal Smith) is the youngest brother of the group, and is described as a “skateboarder and artist who is wild and imaginative.” He is based on a box turtle and wields the Kusari-fundo instead of his traditional nunchucks.

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Saving the best for last we get to Donatello (voiced by Josh Brener), who will actually have the most in common with previous versions. Donatello is described as a “mechanical genius and tech wizard whose ninja skills are second only to his coding”, and is based on the soft-shell turtle. He wields a tech version of his bo-staff, and as you can see in the image, he will make plentiful use of his technological abilities to help the team.

The team will be supported by April O’Neil (Kat Graham) and Splinter (Eric Bauza), but the team is also getting a new enemy in Baron Draxum (John Cena), an alchemist warrior mutant who wants to turn the rest of humanity into mutants. You can check out more photos of the cast in the gallery.

The new series will consist of 26 episodes and is co-executive produced by Andy Suriano (Samurai Jack) and Ant Ward (TMNT). The series will be directed by longtime voice actor Rob Paulsen, who voiced Donatello in the previous series.

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will debut on Nickelodeon later this year.