Leonardo (TMNT)

Leonardo
Artwork for the cover of TMNT Micro-Series vol. 1, 4 (April, 2012). Art by David Petersen.
Publication information
Publisher	Mirage Studios
First appearance	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (May 1984)
Created by	Kevin Eastman Peter Laird
In-story information
Full name	Leonardo Hamato
Abilities	Highly skilled in ninjutsu Olympic-level agility, speed, and strength Keen strategist Master of stealth Mastery of kenjutsu and iaidō Master swordsman Chi Gong Mastery of various forms of hand-to-hand combat Exceptional leadership skills Enhanced slicing and slashing (via his swords) Healing abilities (2012 show) Use in archery and shuriken

Leonardo, often shortened to Leo, is a fictional character and one of the four main characters in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and all related media.

In the Mirage/Image Comics, all four turtles wear red bandanas, but in other versions he wears a blue bandana. His signature weapons are two swords. Leonardo is the most serious, the most spiritual, the most disciplined, and the most in-line with Splinter's teachings and thoughts, and is generally (and popularly) seen as the leader of the Turtles. He is named after Leonardo da Vinci.

Leonardo is depicted as the calmest of the four. He never explicitly referred to himself as leader in the early stories, except issue #44 ("The Violent Underground"). He is the one to usually take charge of the turtles when Master Splinter is not present. He is often at odds with his more hot-headed brother, Raphael.

In Leonardo #1, Leonardo goes out for a run on the rooftops of New York City and is ambushed by the Foot Clan. He puts up an admirable fight against an army of Foot Ninja, but is eventually overwhelmed by them. Beaten to near unconsciousness, he is thrown through April O'Neil's apartment window. The remaining Turtles and Splinter are forced to continue the fight, but even with the aid of Casey Jones, the odds are against them. In the end, the building catches fire and the police arrive, but they secretly escape to Northampton. During this time, Leonardo recovers from his physical wounds. However, he has lost a great deal of confidence. He repeatedly attempts, unsuccessfully, to hunt for deer. While out hunting, he sees April fall through ice into a lake, and he rescues her. In subsequent issues, it is implied that Leonardo has regained most of his confidence.